


I Spy!

by IGetLostInBooks_2506



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-04 11:09:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11553951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IGetLostInBooks_2506/pseuds/IGetLostInBooks_2506
Summary: Lydia Martin is paid to spy on people, Stiles has been paid to spy on Lydia. What happens when their paths continue to cross?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My new Stydia story. I started writing this back in January, but have only just gone back to it. Again it's set in Australia, only because I'm a lot more familiar with the places and people.
> 
> I already have five chapters written, will probably post one chapter every few days.
> 
> Bold italics are Stiles' point of view.
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

She runs the back alley, shedding her disguise as she goes. Her black wig into a industrial bin, trench coat into neighbouring back yard. She tousles her long strawberry blonde hair and smooths down her floral dress. The heels are hindering her, but she trudges on towards her destination. Her pursuers are close, she can hear their heavy footfalls behind her, one hundred metres, no more, no less. She slips into the grounds of the hotel, that has been her home for the last three weeks. She takes the steps one at a time, and pushes through the revolving door.

She slows her pace and straightens her posture, as she walks through the foyer. She nods her head in the direction of the concierge, with a smile that could wreck any mans heart. She makes her way to the elevator bank and waits -a little nervously she will admit- for the telltale sound of the elevators arrival. Her head moves back and forth inconspicuously, as she tries to determine if the men who were chasing her, have followed her into the hotel. She smiles proudly as she gets into the lift, and realises that she has once again been successful.

She opens the door to her studio hotel room and walks in, still smug about getting away. She unbuttons her dress, throws her messenger bag on the sofa, and kicks off the heels -that she was sure were going to be her downfall. Shimmying out of her dress, leaving her in only her black lace bra and knickers, she moves towards the bathroom. She turns on the faucet for the bath and ambles back into the main room. Deciding to reward herself with a glass of wine, she opens the mini fridge and removes a bottle of the cheap red house wine.

Once filling her glass she goes back into the bathroom, places her glass on the edge of the white porcelain, and strips off her underwear. Immersing herself into the hot water, she lets out a sigh of contentment. As she lays her head against the edge of the bath, she arrogantly appraises herself for a job well done. It had only taken her three weeks to infiltrate the high end business, and get the proof she needed to put away the perpetrators for a very long time. Nothing like foiling a drug money laundering business. Operated by one of the biggest jack asses she had ever met.

"Cheers to a job well done." She applauded herself, before taking a long draw of her wine.

Her name is Lydia Martin and she is the top female undercover operative, for one of Australia's biggest private detective agencies. She was a cop for two years, before she was recruited by the one and only Bill Thames. A highly decorated police detective, that was injured during one of his last cases, who decided to retire early and start his own private investigative practice. He had said she was the best he had seen come out of the academy in nearly twenty years, and he was willing to offer twice as much as she earned being a lowly constable.

She didn't say yes straight away. She loved being a cop, she loved keeping the criminals off the streets. She loved being able to bring bad guys to justice. However, only two years into the job and she realised that the justice system sucked. She also truly believed, that there were a lot of corrupt cops and she didn't want to be associated with that. So after three weeks of Bill nagging her pretty much everyday, and of the course the money would be nice, she had said yes. Three years later and she has never been more happy about her decision.

At twenty five years of age, Lydia Martin is absolutely content with the life she leads. She has a swanky apartment in the heart of Melbourne. She runs circles with some of Australia's élite socialites, and has a King Charles cavalier to keep her company. Prada, is the closest she will probably ever get to having a child. You know, you kind of have to have a partner and a sex life for that to happen. In fact, that's probably the only part about her life that she is unhappy with. Sure she's had her share of hook ups, but in her line of work it doesn't pay to get to close to anyone.

She finishes up in the bath, and wraps herself up into the large fluffy towel. As she makes her way to the living area, Lydia pours herself another glass of wine and places herself on the sofa. Pulling out her laptop and the USB that contains the damning evidence, she starts to scroll through all the information. Whittemore's Incorporated. A large oil company based out of Sydney. The police had suspected them for years of drug trafficking and money laundering, but they never had any hard proof. So they called in the private investigators for help.

The police quite often called upon them, when they had a tough case that they couldn't break. And more often than not, Bill would put his best girl on the job. Especially in cases like this, where the suspect is an arrogant, pompous ladies man. Lydia almost chokes on her wine when she scoffs, thinking at how easy he had fallen prey to her. Jackson Whittemore had been swept of his feet, and succumbed to her womanly talents. She seduced him and he had grovelled at her feet. Once she was in with him, getting the proof the police needed was easy.

She didn't always like the fact that she had to use her body to get information, especially when it's with the likes of Jackson Whittemore. God he was such an arrogant prick, but it was effective and she did have an okay body, so why not let someone worship it. Other times she didn't mind so much, because you know, she is only human and she is a woman after all. She still has needs. Maybe she'll give Aiden a call when she gets back to Melbourne. He always knows how to worship her body.

She sent the information via a protected email account to her boss, then he will send the information to the police. What they did with it after that was entirely up to them. Not Lydia's problem anymore. Now she can pack up and go back to her life in Melbourne. She misses Prada terribly, and is in desperate need of some spa time. She closed out her email, shut down her laptop and headed into the bedroom. She climbed in under the Egyptian sheets, turned off the lights, and laid her weary head down on the pillow and fell asleep, proud of herself of a job well done.

_**The dark haired man put down his camera, and started to pull it apart. By the next morning, no one will ever know that he had even been there. He tidied up the room, packed up his camera, grabbed his messenger bag and headed out of the room. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the number of his employer. It rang three times before going to voicemail, he sighed as he waited for the beep.** _

_**"Found her. Will send pics tomorrow."** _

~

Four weeks later, she finds herself in Brisbane, in a smaller hotel than the one in Sydney, watching two lovers making out near the pool, through a pair of binoculars. This case was a private matter. A wife had come to them for help, suspecting her husband was having an affair. This is how they spend most of their time. The big police cases only come up every now and then. It's the private stuff that keeps them busy. Affairs, scandals, frauds. It's spying on unsuspecting men and woman who are leading double lives. Men and woman of all ages, that are having sordid affairs.

They're so desperate for answers, that they throw thousands of dollars away. She'd been trailing this one for two weeks. He was handsome, she will say that. But the young girl with him looked to be barely minimum age. She's the usual make up of who a man going through a mid life crisis usually turns too. Curvy, busty, blonde, and more often than not they're simply after whatever bank balance said older man has. She has seen it many times before in her three years. Older guys, looking for younger prettier models of their wives.

She puts her binoculars down, and pulls out her camera with the long range lens on the end, and starts clicking away. She huffs to herself with disdain, as she thinks about how they're about to ruin another desperate soul with this news. If it was her, she would never want to know. As she is moving the camera away from the window, something in the room directly above the pool catches her eye. She zooms in with her camera, and nearly reels back in shock with what she sees. A man and a woman fucking against the window. In the middle of the day.

She knows she should probably look away, but she can't seem to stop watching the couple, their heaving chests and facial expressions. The male intrigues her, the only way to put it is he is hot. From his broad slightly tanned shoulders and sculpted chest. The woman is gorgeous. Tall and lithe, long brunette hair, and from Lydia's restricted view, with boobs that are just right. Just when she is about to put the camera away, the mans hand slams against the window. Shit! Had just come? Fuck, she needs to look away.

She chastises herself for being such a creeper. Seriously? What self respecting woman would just stand there and watch that scene unfold? She packs her equipment away, and swears under her breath, berating herself. She decides a shower is in order, to wash away the filthy thoughts that are clogging up her brain. It's her own fault really. In fact she's surprised it hasn't happened before, considering how many of these cases she has worked over the last couple of years. But there was something about the mans sculpted cheek bones and his hands.

 _Fuck! What? His hands?_ God she really needed to get laid.

"Great, now I'm horny." She says to herself.

Just as she gets out of the shower her stomach grumbles. Well that will happen if you haven't eaten in four hours. She quickly gets dressed, grabs her purse, phone, keycard and heads out to find some food. She certainly won't eat at the hotel restaurant again, after she found a bug in her Caesar salad. She walks along the somewhat busy street that her hotel is on, breathing in the early evening summer air. She finds a little Italian place and breezes in. The host seats her at a table for two facing the door, and Lydia sighs knowing she's spending another night eating alone.

Her food has just been placed in front of her, when the bell above the door tinkles. She raises up her head, and nearly chokes on the spoonful of pasta she was about to gobble down. There waiting to be seated was the couple she had been spying on. Not the one she had been paid to spy on, but the other one. She lowers her head back down and watches them through her eyelashes. They really were a beautiful couple. Lydia suddenly felt extremely ashamed. To top it off, the waitress seats them at a table right behind her. Brilliant.

She tries very hard to not listen to the two people behind her, as she eats her pasta as fast as she can. She needs to escape already. She couldn't say whether or not the food was any good, because her taste buds had disappeared the moment she saw the two of them standing at the door. She is also having a terrible time trying to not thinking about the way their bodies moved against the window. The expression on the mans face when he came. The tautness of his arms, as his hand pushed against the glass. She clenches her thighs together. Yep time to go.

She hastily gets up from her seat, ignoring the fact that she has just bashed her chair into the mans behind her. She practically runs to the counter, whips out her credit card, pays for dinner and flies out the door. She speed walks all the way back to the hotel, takes the steps two at a time and locks the door behind her. She barricades herself under her blanket, as she unabashedly writhes with ecstasy under the ministrations of her finger. Funnily though it's the look on the mans face that brings her to completion. She really needed to get laid.

She feels dirty and invasive. Once again, an hour after she ran out of the restaurant, she stands under the shower, washing away any evidence of her desire. After her shower, she potters around the small room trying to forget about what she just did. She shakes her head a little, before remembering she is here to work. She pulls out her camera again and positions herself at the window. She zooms into the room she knows the adulterer is staying in. It's pitch black though, and with a sigh of resignation, she moves the camera away from the window.

Without thinking about it, she moved the camera to the room where all the action had happened today. She adjusts the zoom and peers into the window. She is once again witnessing the two bodies joined together. When she realises what she is doing, she quickly moves away from the window. She packs the camera away, deciding she has enough evidence to present to the dower Mrs Fitsimmons. Her curiosity gets the better of her though, and she sneaks another look out her window. This time she does reel back, because the hot man was staring right back at her.

_**The man watched as her eyes went wide. He can't help but think how gorgeous she is. When he's certain she isn't watching anymore, he pushes away from the girl in front of him. His partner can get a little over zealous sometimes. It's not like they're really fucking, just pretending so as to not give away their identities. They were only ever naked from the waist up. He places a hand against the window as his partner gets dressed.** _

_**"She sure is pretty, be careful Stiles."** _

~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia has a close encounter with the mysterious dark haired man.
> 
> The McGrath foundation is a real thing. Glenn McGrath is a retired cricketer, he was one of our most successful fast bowlers. Cricket is a a national sport, that is played in three formats. Test Match, Fifty Overs & Twenty/20. Every test match that is played in Sydney is called the Pink test, and the third day is Jane McGrath day. The five day long test is all about raising money and awareness for the Jane McGrath foundation. You can read more about it here: 
> 
> http://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/AboutUs.aspx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

It's been six months since she was in Brisbane. They'd had many a case in between. In fact they've just wrapped up another police case, only this time it wasn't as dangerous. Go in pretend to be a computer analyst, and breech their systems to catch out an unsuspecting computer hacker. He was stealing millions of dollars by day and spending up big by night. It took six weeks to foil the mans plans, and where she had to use her body to win her case last time, this time her brain was what won out in the end.

Right now she was out with a few of her friends. And when she says a few, she means exactly that. She can count on one hand her closest friends. Sure she has the socialites she mingles with, and every Friday she has dinner with Bill and his wife Georgina. But tight close friends that she would tell any secret too, she only had a handful of those. There's Allison of course, who has been her best friend forever. Then there's Kira, who she met at the academy. Then there's Isaac, her gay male best friend.

The four of them catch up every weekend. Almost always at the same hole in the wall pub, with its sticky floors, cheap booze and Lynx. Lynx is the house band, that play old rock and roll music that Lydia and her friends secretly love, yes even Isaac. But they wouldn't dare to admit that to anyone. They know the four band members quite well and often share a drink with them. They're onto the fourth round, and Lydia is feeling quite tipsy, when she swears she sees the same man she saw in Brisbane, the one that was fuckng his girlfriend against the window.

"Holy shit!" She exclaims as she hides behind Isaac.

The tall blonde Englishman laughs at her before turning to set her with a look.

"Okaaaay, fire cracker. What's wrong." He asks, getting Kira and Allison's attention as well.

Lydia peeks her head around the body of her friend, to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She quickly retreats. Nope not hallucinating. What the fuck is he doing here in her town, in her pub? She does a quick search to see if the gorgeous leggy brunette was wth him, but couldn't see her anywhere. She does notice however that he is flanked by two other guys, who seem to be laughing at something he said. Isaac takes both her arms in his hands and holds her up to face him. Damn he's strong. She quickly recovers and shrugs herself out of his hold.

"Nothing, I'm fine." She replies.

All three of her friends give her a pointed look. She sighs and starts to retell her story.

"So you remember when I was in Brisbane on a case, and I told you about the couple I saw screwing against the window?"

"I think 'fucking' was the word you used." Allison reminds her laughing.

She sends a scowl in Ally's direction.

"Well don't look now, but he's near the bar."

And of course her friends take 'the don't look now' to mean 'lets turn around and make it obvious we're looking'.

"Guys!" She almost screeches.

They all turn back to face her.

"Which one is he?" Kira asks excitedly, her eyes wide in anticipation.

Lydia rolled her eyes and groaned, she didn't want to make a scene, so she lowered the tone of her voice and moved closer to her friends.

"The tall one with messy hair." She could feel the blush taking over her face.

And of course again, all three deemed it mandatory to turn and check out the three guys standing at the bar. Isaac let out a low whistle, Allison giggled and Kira was bouncing on the tips of her toes. A feat considering the heels she was wearing. Lydia's head was lowered in shame as her friends tittered around her. Words like, hot, sexy, edible. Edible? Really? Are these really her friends? She throws her hands up exasperated. She chances a look in the same direction as her friends, and startles when she finds him staring right back at her, again, a smirk playing on his lips.

Does he remember the brief eye contact they shared six months ago? Surely not. She's not that memorable. Him on the other hand....Oh God....that jaw, those cheekbones and don't get her started on the broadness of his shoulders. Flashes of him naked swim behind her eyes, a smile threatening to grace her lips, as she remembers the taut muscles of his arms as he held the girl against the window. Lydia crosses one leg over the other, to try and fight of the fire that was building just below her naval. She's bought out of her daze by a soft whack to her arm.

"Ow....what the...." Her words get stuck in her throat, as she notices the three guys are making a beeline for her and her friends.

"Fuck, come on let's get out of here." She says, as she grabs Isaac's hand and starts pulling him towards the door.

But she is pulled up short as Isaac yanks on her hand.

"What's the harm in saying hello?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, and a mischievous look in his eyes.

He chuckles at what Lydia can only imagine is horror on her face. Allison and Kira stand next to him, both hiding their own laughter behind their hands. Her eyes glare from one friend to the other, her mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish. They can't be serious? She crosses her arms over her chest, then sets a scowl on her face that hints at the term 'if looks could kill' in its entirety. She quickly flits her eyes over to the intruders, they're getting closer and Lydia sends one more pleading look in her friends direction.

"C'mon guys please." She begs tugging on Isaac's hand.

Eventually her friends cave, and they somehow manage to escape before the three men got too close. Lydia inhales sharply once they're back out in the unusually warm winter air. She links her arm through Isaac's, and Allison and Kira fall in step either side of them. They don't question her anymore about the three men, they just walk along the Yarra, pass the Casino and head back towards Lydia's apartment. Once there, they continue to drink, laugh and dance around the living room. No one mentioned the three men again all night.

_**Damn it. He had been so close. He actually hadn't gone to the pub tonight for any other reason than to have a night out with his mates. Imagine his surprise when he sees the redhead on the otherside of the room, with a few of her friends. His contract was up with the man who was looking for her. He asked no questions when he was on a job, he didn't even know her name. The girl intrigued him though, and he found himself wanting to get to know her.** _

_**"Malia was right, she sure is pretty."** _

~

Missing Children cases were the worst. At least this one had a happy ending. And it turned out she wasn't really missing at all, had just decided to run away and be with her much older boyfriend. However it still constitutes as a crime, as she is only fourteen and the man in question is nineteen. Not only is the man facing statutory rape charges, but there's also a chance that kidnapping charges could be bought up against him, even though the victim willingly left her family home to be with him.

The story was all over the news. The parents were offering a hefty reward to anyone with information, but it was like she vanished from the face of the earth. None of her friends knew where she was, and it was later revealed that they didn't know she was dating anyone, well, so they thought. So when the cops hit a dead end, the parents called Bill, who then gave the assignment to Lydia. With her youthful looks, she was able to pull off being a Highschool student, and became quite chummy with the girls friends, despite them being much younger.

One month into her assignment, she overheard one of the girls in the toilet block. It seems she was talking to someone on her mobile phone. It wasn't until the missing girls name was mentioned, that Lydias ears perked up. She waited until the call was ended, then came out of the stall. The girl, Amber, was just stuffing her phone back into her school bag. When she looked up she saw Lydia's reflection in the mirror in front of her. She turned quickly, her eyes wide and her face flushed a bright pink.

"Amber, who were you talking to?" She asked gently.

"Ah....no one, just my mother." She replied nervously, her eyes flitting around the bathroom looking for an escape.

Lydia smiled and moved a step closer.

"Amber, if you know anything about where Gabby is you really should tell the police."

"I can't....I mean I don't....know anything that is."

"Really, because it sounded like you were talking to Gabby just now."

That's all it took for Amber to break down and cry and spill out everything she knew. That afternoon, Lydia had informed Gabby's parents about her location and why she had run away from home. The parents paid the usual fee for Lydia's information, and the police went in and arrested the nineteen year old, and returned the girl to her parents. From what Lydia had heard over the grapevine, the young fourteen year old was not impressed that she had to go back home. Even going so far as to throw a tantrum like a five year old.

But it was another cased solved, and Lydia was happy with the end result. She's not sure how she would've coped had she turned up dead. That case ended two weeks ago, and as far as Lydia knew, the girl hadn't tried to run away again. She pushes they key into her apartment door, completely exhausted from another day spent spying on an unsuspecting cheating wife. She can't believe how idiotic these people can be sometimes, they always get caught in the end. She opens her door, steps inside and is greeted by her baby.

"Hey Prada." She greets, picking up the small dog.

Her mobile started ringing from inside her bag. She put Prada down, and fished out her iPhone. She swipes the screen and answers in a tired voice.

"Hello."

"Evening Lydia, how did the day go?"

"Hi Bill, same as usual." She replied heading towards her kitchen.

"I'm just ringing to remind you about the Gala tonight."

"Shit! Do I really have to go?" She whined, pulling a bottle of red from on top of the fridge.

She had completely forgotten about the fancy charity gala that she had been invited to. It was to raise funds and support the Jane McGrath foundation, being held by one of Australia's elite cricketers, and widowed husband, Glenn McGrath. This foundation raises money to train nurses for patients with breast cancer, it's a truly wonderful cause. Since Jane McGrath's death from breast cancer, nine years ago, her widowed husband has continued on in her footsteps, even getting a test match named after her, called the pink test.

"Okay, I'll be there. Give me an hour." She tells him, thinking that an hour isn't going to be long enough.

But she manages to get ready in under an hour, and is climbing into a cab that will take her to the Crown Casino, where the gala will be held. She somehow made herself look presentable in a navy blue floor length dress, with spaghetti straps, and three inch stilettos. She styled her hair in a french bun, with loose tendrils framing her face. It's not a long drive to the Casino, so moments later the cabbie has pulled up in the valet, and a skinny young man opens her door. Gracefully she climbs out of the cab, and makes her way into the casino.

She steps into the ballroom, and inhales a deep breath at the beauty of it all. People mingle and titter around her as she searches the crowd for Bill and Georgina. She is met by a waiter with a tray of champagne, and she wastes no time in snatching one from the silver platter. Photographer's cameras were going off at a furious rate, and someone high on the guest list begged for her to pose with him. Little did she know, that her face would be all over the society pages of newspapers by Sunday, and in gossip magazines by Monday.

_**Sifting through his Sunday paper, a steaming hot cup of black coffee resting near his hand, he stills at the society section - that he almost always just breezes over. There, in all her stunning beauty, is the gorgeous redhead - or rather strawberry blonde, that had featured in his dreams lately. Her designer dress hugs every curve of her body, accentuating her hips and her cleavage. He scans the tiny black words under the photo, and finds her name, letting it roll off his tongue.** _

_**"Lydia Martin."** _

~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update. To make up for it I'm posting two chapters today.
> 
> This first chapter gives you a little insight into Lydia's background, and possibly why Stiles had been spying on her.
> 
> I don't want to give too much away. 
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Lydia wasn't a big fan of Christmas. Not since her parents died in a horrific car crash three years ago, a week before Christmas. And both sets of her grand parents were gone too, so she had no family to celebrate it with. When her parents died, she also found out some shocking news. She was adopted. The autopsy of her mother revealed that she had never had children biologically. She went into a bit of a spiral with all the events that happened. But with the help of her friends and her boss, she came through the other end okay.

She wasn't the least bit interested in finding her biological parents. She knows there's a thousand reasons why they would've given her up, but she didn't care. Natalie and Samuel Martin will always be her parents as far as she was concerned. Now though, with Christmas just around the corner, Lydia can feel herself becoming closed off again. So she said yes to a job just before Christmas, knowing that if she is too busy working she won't have time to think about what this time of year means for her.

Bill had tried to talk her down, tried to include her in their festivities, but Lydia stood her ground, and climbed into her car and drove to Sydney to spy on an unsuspecting wife. Her friends were none to thrilled either, but Lydia couldn't let herself think about who she was letting down, or else she might just lose herself again. And the change of scenery and the semi heatwave Sydney was going through, was helping to keep her memories at bay.

It was Christmas Eve, she had just gotten off the phone to Allison, when she heard a car pulling into the beach house next to hers. She had been watching the unfaithful wife for three days now, but was yet to get any evidence. She had bought Prada for company, and as an excuse to walk past the white house next to the one she had rented. She climbed off the chair, grabbed Prada’s lead and left the house. She walked along the pristine white sand, in her bikini with a sarong wrapped around her waist.

She had a large beach bag with her keys, towel and mobile phone stored away. When she walked past the small gate that led up to the house, she inconspicuously moved her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose, and peered into the floor length windows. A small smirk made its way to her face, when she saw the woman tangled up with a man who wasn't her husband. Dark hair mingled with light, as they shared a ferocious kiss. A memory of a couple in a similar position flashed behind Lydia's eyes. She shook the vision away and continued to take photos.

“Busted!” She murmured.

In keeping up with her facade, she continued down the beach, pulling Prada along behind her. It wasn't until she made her way back, that she pulled out her mobile phone, and found a small shrub to hide behind. She peered over the top to see if the couple were still there, and she wasn't disappointed. Lifting her phone above the shrub, she quickly started snapping away, very aware of the fact that if someone walked past they would see her. After she was satisfied that she had enough evidence, she stowed away her phone.

She searched the surrounding area to make sure she was alone. The only other people were the surfers out on the water, and what looks to be a man passed out further down the beach. She stood up, and headed back towards her own house, Prada snapping at her heels. She was not a big fan of beaches. Once inside she pulled out her laptop, plugged in her phone cord and attached her phone. She downloaded the photos and then quickly sent them to Bill. Half an hour later, when she was sitting on the front porch with a cold beer in her hand, her phone rang.

She saw the caller ID and swiped the touch screen.

“Hi Bill. You get my email?” She asked.

“Sure did. Which means the jobs done. You can come home and have Christmas with me and Georgina.” He answered stoically.

Lydia breathed a heavy sigh.

“Thanks for the offer boss, but this place is paid up for another couple of days, I think I'll stay.”

There was silence on the other end, before Georgina's voice could be heard in the background.

_“Did she say yes?”_

More silence where Lydia can imagine Bill shaking his head.

“Lydia, I'm worried about you.” His voice softer.

“I know, but I'm fine. Prada and me are just going to kick back and relax and we will be back before the New Year.”

She could tell by the tone in his voice when he replied that she had won out, this time.

“Merry Christmas Bill. Give Georgie a hug for me.”

“Merry Christmas Lydia. If you change your mind, you know where we will be.”

She ends the call, not wanting to prolong it any further. Looking out at the water, she decided it was time for a swim. Pulling off her sarong, she grabbed her beach bag again, locked Prada inside - she never did like the water, and headed down to the ocean. It was a hot one today. Forty Degrees Celsius. Once she was closer to the water, she laid out her towel, slapped on some sunscreen and wasted no time getting into the water. She let the cool water soak into her skin, trying not to let her mind drift to that place she hates so much.

The sun was high in the sky, and she couldn't help but think it was a near perfect summers day. As she lay on her back, letting the gentle waves rock her from side to side, an unfamiliar sensation washed over her. She felt like she was being watched. She sat up quickly, letting her legs tread water as she scanned the area. There wasn't a soul in close proximity. Just a few surfers a little further along the beach and couple of families further along again, building sand castles. She furrowed her brow as the sensation flowed through her again.

Shaking her head and deciding she was just being silly, she swam her way back to the shore and made her way back to her towel. Still a little nervous she quickly dried off, wrapped the towel around her waist and headed back to the house.

**_He laid on his towel, watching the house, where his target was wrapped up with a woman of about the same age. He was just about to move closer, when a familiar redhead walked past the house, a little dog walking behind her. He was shocked, when she took up position behind a bush at the same house he was watching. She went to turn around, so Stiles flattened himself down on his towel. He figured he had played possum for long enough. He opened his eyes. She was gone._ **

**_“Fuck.” He said to himself, falling against his towel again._ **

~

She had been true to her word and was back in Melbourne for New Year's Eve. She had survived another Christmas without her parents, and was quite proud of the fact that she hadn't let herself fall into that black hole again. She was on her third glass of champagne, listening to Isaac swoon over a guy he had met just before Christmas, hiding a smile behind her glass as he went on and on, as if this guy was the love of his life. But Lydia knew Isaac better than that, and knew that he would be raving on about a different bloke by the end of the night.

Isaac was afraid of commitment, much like herself, hence why neither of them have had a serious relationship in a long time. But a least Isaac had a healthy sex life. Lydia's at the moment was non existent. She briefly wondered if there would be someone here tonight, who she might be able to hook up with, then shook the thought from her head. Aiden was here, maybe she would go home with him tonight. But as she scanned the room for him, a vision of dark messy hair and a lean long body flashes behind her eyes.

“What the fuck.” She mumbles to herself.

She hadn't thought about the mystery guy for months. After the two encounters she had had with him, she dreamed of him quite a bit, but she had been so busy with work lately that he hadn't even crossed her mind. Now with an ache between her thighs, and her breasts pushing against her blouse, she wonders what he's doing on New Year's Eve. Damn it! She really does need to get some action. But when her eyes finally find Aiden, he is on the dance floor wrapped up in between two girls. Well there goes that idea.

“Lydia?” She heard Kira say, bringing her back to the moment.

She turns to her friend.

“You okay?”

“Yeah why?”

“We lost you there for a bit.” Allison adds.

Lydia takes another sip of her champagne, but it goes down like a lump of coal, as visions of the hot man continue to swim behind her eyes. She shuts them tight to try and get rid of the images. When she feels she is in control of her hormones, she looks up to her friends.

“I'm fine seriously. C’mon I want to dance.”

The four friends left their drinks at the bar and made their way to the dance floor. They laughed and danced right up until the emcee announced the countdown to New Year. They make their way back to the bar, and with their drinks in their hands, they welcome in another year. They finished up at the party, and carried on into the night at a place close to Isaac’s. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, when they finally made their way back. They were all drunk. Stumbling through the streets of Melbourne, singing at the top of their voices.

“Fuck I'm wasted. I'm heading to bed.” Isaac announced as he walked the small hallway.

This left Lydia, Allison and Kira to fight over the spare room and the couch. Too tired and drunk to debate too much, Kira and Ally wandered to the spare room, and Lydia plonked herself on the couch. Her eyes closed immediately, her head buzzing from the alcohol that still teemed through her body. She kicked off her shoes and turned on her side, setting an alarm on her phone. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, and when she did she dreamed of dark hair, a fit body, and a smile that she was becoming increasingly familiar with.

She woke to a god awful noise coming from her left. Her eyes slowly opened, still full of sleep. She craned her neck over the top of the couch and regretted her decision right away. She fell back against the couch again, her head thumping and in desperate need of some pain killers - or greasy food. She took her time getting up, afraid she might pass out if she tried to get up too quickly. She moved through the small archway separating the lounge from the kitchen. Once there, she saw Isaac crouched over the stove, the smell of eggs and bacon invading her nostrils.

“Mornin’.” She said quietly announcing herself.

However from Isaac's reaction she guessed he was feeling much the same as her. He nearly hit the roof he jumped so high.

“Sorry, didn't mean to wake you.”

“It's okay. Smells good in here.” She said sitting at the breakfast bench. “The others still asleep?”

“Yeah, you know what those two are like. We'll be lucky if we see them before sunset.”

They both laughed at his anecdote.

“Well that means more breakfast for us.”

The others did eventually arise - halfway through Lydia's second plate. They piled up their own plates, and the four friends ate in silence. It was mid afternoon when Lydia called an Uber. Isaac had gone back to bed, and the other two were watching something on his television. She said her goodbyes and collected her things, and made her way outside to wait for the driver. Fifteen minutes later she was unlocking her door, and pushing her way into her apartment. It was deafeningly quiet, as Prada had spent the night at Bills house.

She left a trail of clothes as she made her way to her bathroom, she turned on the shower, waited for the temperature to rise and then climbed into the stall. She let the warm water wash over her, before grabbing her shampoo and lathering up her hair. Running her hands over body, she came to a stop at her breasts, as those images from last night flashed behind her eyes again. She imagines large hands engulfing her instead of her small ones, a hard body pressed up behind hers, and long fingers running circles over her clit.

Involuntarily, one hand moves down to between her thighs, and she lets herself get lost in the fantasy of the mystery man working her to climax. It didn't take long before she felt her arousal run down her thigh, mixing with the soap and the water. With her other hand pulling at her nipple, she leaned against the shower wall and let herself fall apart, soft moans filling the air. She stood there for a while, before her concscience got the better of her, and she quickly turned the water off and reached for a towel.

What the hell was she thinking, mastubating to images of a man she didn't know? Deciding that she needed to forget about a guy she will never meet, she quickly got dressed and called Bill to let him know she was on her way over to pick up Prada.

_**Stiles was a mess. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about the pretty redhead, that for some reason always seems to be where he is. Since seeing her on the beach a few days ago, he hasn't been able to calm his hormones. The way the pale blue bikini she wore, complimented her fair but tanned skin. His eyes had followed the sway of her hips, until they disappeared into the house next to the one he had been watching.** _

_**“Damn it, I need to calm down.” He had said under his breath, as he had made his way into the water.** _

~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia goes on holiday, and low and behold guess who is holidaying in the same place?
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Bill had demanded that Lydia take a holiday. She had been working nearly non stop for over a year now. He didn't want his best girl working herself into the ground. So after a few heated arguments, Lydia was defeated, and booked herself a two week stay in Bali, and Isaac agreed to join her. So here she lays on a sunbed, overlooking Seminyak beach, Isaac beside her on his own, and she is pretty sure he has fallen asleep. Hard not too, with the sounds of rolling waves mere metres from where they are.

Their hotel overlooks the beach, and the rooftop pool gives them a view to die for. They're into day three, and Lydia is now glad that her boss forced her to take time off. The sun is shining, it hasn't rained much and she couldn't ask for better company. Tomorrow they're off white water rafting, much to Isaac’s disgust, and pretty much everyday after that, they have something planned. Right now though, Lydia is engrossed in her book, a tale of mystery, romance and murder. She's just getting to the part where the killer is revealed, when a flash of something catches her eye.

When she turns to look though, there's nothing there. With her keen cop instincts, she scours the area again, before shrugging her shoulders and going back to her book. However, she can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. After another half an hour, with her senses on high alert, she slams the book shut, shoves Isaac awake, and tells him they're heading into Kuta. He doesn't argue, just follows behind her mumbling something under his breath. Not long after, they're in a cab, heading into Kuta for lunch.

They spend the next couple of hours, going over the rest of their plans, shopping and eating more food. She tried to forget about the unsettling feeling, that had been surrounding her all day. She still felt like she was being watched, but she was praying beyond all hope that it was just her imagination. She occasionally looked over her shoulder, or stared off into the crowded streets of Kuta, and unfortunately her actions didn't go unnoticed by Isaac. He took another sip of whatever cocktail he was drinking, before placing the glass on the table and stubbing out his smoke.

"Alright, what is with you today?"

Lydia shrugs, not wanting to ruin the day with her suspicions.

"Lydia, honey, you have your PI face on." He states, as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"It's nothing, really." She answers, before digging her fork into her mi-goring.

He scoffs, before leaning his elbows on the table, and setting her with a pointed look.

"Girl, I have known you for eight years, you know you can't lie to me right?"

And he is right, she can't. She places her fork on the table.

"I feel like we're being watched."

His brow creases in confusion, and his head moves left to right looking for the perpetrator. She slaps his arm.

"Stop that, you're going to draw attention to yourself." She scolds. "It's probably nothing. I'm just being paranoid."

But that paranoia stuck with her for the rest of the day, and well into the night. Like when her and Isaac ended up at a bar later that night, just a short walk from where they were staying. Or with the floor vibrating underneath her feet from the base of the music as her and Isaac dance. Or when she tipped back her third tequila shot, she still felt like they were being watched. And at around eleven pm, when they're walking along the beach, back to their villa, she is absolutely certain that someone is following them.

"Isaac." She whispers, snatching his hand in her own.

Isaac starts to stop, but Lydia gives a shake of her head. After they've walked a little further, Lydia takes a sudden turn up a side street, then drags them both into another bar, albeit this one is much smaller and way more crowded. She rushes them towards the back, and hides them behind a partition that seperates the the bar from the dance floor. She pushes her body flat against it, gesturing for Isaac to do the same, he complies, his face a little ashen. She quickly pokes her head out and scans the crowded pub.

"Lydia, what's wrong?" Isaac asks, in a hushed whisper.

"We're definitely being followed." She quietly throws over her shoulder.

"What! By who?"

Lydia ignores Isaac, and continues to scan the crowd. Unfortunately nobody looks out of place, and Lydia wonders if she was in fact, imagining things. With one last sweep over the pub, she lets out a sigh, she has to learn to turn off the suspicious side of her brain. Not everyone is a case for her to investigate. She turns back to Isaac, who has suddenly become very quiet. She takes in his face, which has turned from ash white to flat out pale white. He looks afraid. Not an emotion you see on Isaac’s face very often.

"Hey, everything is okay, turns out I'm just paranoid?" She states softly, taking his hands in hers.

She watches him visibly relax, then his eyes narrow towards her.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Come on, let's head back." She tells him, a soft smile on her lips, as she pulls him from out of their hiding spot.

They move through the crowd of bodies, making a path along the edge of the dance floor, Lydia wants nothing more than to have a shower and climb into bed. They have a long day tomorrow. With her hand attached to Isaac's and her head lowered, they make their way to the door. And despite concluding that they were not in fact being followed, Lydia still swept the crowd with her eyes. Chastising herself, she pushes through the large wooden doors, dragging Isaac behind her, silence encompassing them all the way back to the hotel.

She showers, pulls on her pajamas, grabs a bottle of apple vodka, and heads outside onto the balcony to read. Isaac passed out almost as soon as they walked through the door. But she couldn't switch her brain off. She's on holiday for crying out loud, she needs to stop being paranoid about everything. So she opens the book to the bookmarked page, and immerses herself into the story. An hour and three drinks later, Lydia finally makes her way to bed, and for some reason her dreams that night are filled with the mystery guy, who's name she doesn't know.

**_He was surprised to see her lounging on a deck chair, at the same hotel as him that day. He and Scott had been planning this holiday for months now. He had actually thought he would never see the girl again, after her quick escape from the club and that day on the beach. So when he spotted her on the rooftop pool area, earlier in the day, he decided to introduce himself. But he lost his nerve and instead followed her around for the rest of the day._ **

**_"Stiles man, you do realise how creepy this is right?"_ **

~

Five days into her Bali trip, and Lydia had put all thoughts of being followed, into the back of her head. They had been too busy, for her to even think about anything else but falling into her bed every night and passing out. So far they've been white water rafting, visited the Monkey Forest, spent a day on Lembongan Island and today they had been to the safari park. They're meant to head over to Frankensteins for dinner and a show tonight, but all Lydia can think about doing is having a shower and then going to bed.

But Isaac has other ideas.

"C'mon Lyds I've been hanging for this night all week." He pleads, with his hands clasped together under his chin like he's praying.

"Fine! But I'm not going anywhere without a shower first."

"That's my girl, Love you." He sing songs, as she heads into the bathroom.

Two and half hours later and Lydia and Isaac are walking back to their villa, and Lydia is regretting her decision to go out, because that unsettling feeling was back, and this time she is certain she isn't imagining things. Isaac is too drunk to notice her throwing suspicious looks over her shoulder, or that she had suddenly sped up her pace. He just fell in step next to her, albeit on inebriated legs. When they turn onto the street that their villa is on, Lydia pulls up short, a gasp leaving her mouth. Isaac nearly barrels into her, she stopped so suddenly.

There standing in front of their hotel, is the guy who featured quite regularly in her dreams. It's been months since she that day in her shower, where Lydia had unabashedly bought herself to orgasm with thoughts of him and his hands. He's just as handsome as she remembers. With his dark messy hair and God like body. But what the fuck is he doing here? Is he stalking her, following her? Had he tracked her down, and followed her here to Bali? No one but her closest friends and Bill, knew where she was going.

Then realisation hits her. Her mouth opens in an _'o'_ shape, and her eyes are wide, as she comes to an unexpected conclusion. He was private investigator too. Then an anger starts to run through her body. Completely ignoring Issac's words of warning, she stomps over to the man, who it seems now has indeed been following her. She pulls up short in front of him, crosses her arms over her chest, and almost lets out a growl at the fucking smirk resting on his lips. She knew she had felt something off for the past couple of days. And now she knows why.

"Why the hell are you following me? Who paid you to seek me out?" She demands.

His hands go up in surrender, and that smirk falls from his lips. She hears a chuckle from beside the tall man. Completely focused on getting answers, she hadn't noticed the other man next to him. It's one of the guys from the pub in Melbourne. He's just as tall as her mystery man, but his skin is slightly darker, and his features a bit softer. Was he a PI too? Her gaze shifts between the two, before settling back on the messy haired hottie. Because despite how angry she is that he seems to be following her, he is still one very handsome man that has her insides doing somersaults.

"Well?"

And when he speaks, Lydia almost stops breathing, because his voice is like velvet. Smooth and soft to the ears.

"I'm not....following you." He starts, sharing a look with his friend. "At least not anymore."

Her hands go to her hips, and Isaac has finally joined them on the steps leading up to the hotel.

"What do you mean, anymore?" She queries, her eyes still narrowed.

"Look, maybe we can go inside." He suggests, nodding towards the door of the hotel.

Her eyes go wide at his suggestion, a scoff leaving her lips.

"I promise I'll explain everything." He adds.

She stares between the two men, before turning to look at Isaac, hoping for some help. But it doesn't come, because he just shrugs one shoulder, and sets her with a look that says _'It's up to you'_.

"Fine." She grumbles, as she walks past him and heads towards the hotel, not caring if anyone is following her.

They spent an hour drinking icy cold Bintangs at the hotel bar, while Stiles -as he introduced himself, tried to explain everything. He told her that he was hired by a man to track her down, gather as much information as he could about her, and that was why she had seen him in Brisbane. Him and his partner were trailing her every move, and Lydia finds it quite comical, that she had fallen for the old 'pretend to fuck your partner' deal. When he went on to explain that, that was the last time he had contact with the mysterious man, Lydia looked at him thoughtfully.

"So the pub in Melbourne and you being here are just coincidences?" She asks, searching for any hint that he is lying.

"Yes. I live in Melbourne, I was just having a night out with my mates. And this trip has been planned for six months, so...."

"But that doesn't explain why you've been following me all week?" She states with a raised eyebrow.

Isaac nods in agreement and Stiles' friend, Scott, tries to fight back a smile. She doesn't give him a chance to reply, instead questions him more.

"So this man that hired you, who is he?" She ask taking a sip of her beer.

He shrugs.

"I don't know. He just asked me to find you and paid me a lot of money to do it. All I have is a phone number and an email, both of which don't exist anymore."

"Bullshit!" She exclaims shaking her head.

All the guys look up at her confused.

"You're trying to tell me that you have no idea who this man is?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." He sounds as if he starting to get frustrated.

Well, too bad. Lydia wants answers, and she believes he's the only one to give them to her. Bill has never taken on a case without knowing everyone involved, if what this Stiles is saying is true, then someone is seeking her out, and she wants to know why. He doesn't offer up any more information though, and Lydia is starting to question whether or not he is actually telling the truth. Deciding that she has had enough, Lydia scraped her chair out from underneath her and stood up. Isaac copied her. She threw some Rupiah on the table to cover the beers she's had, and goes to leave.

She turns back briefly, to find Stiles' head lowered in defeat.

"I'm sorry but, it's just that it all seems a little too coincidental." She explains. "I'm a private investigator too and a former cop, and it just sounds too....."

"Far fetched." He says for her and she nods in agreement. "I swear I'm not stalking you."

And the sincerity in his voice, has Lydia believing him. She falters a little when she looks at him again. Eyes so golden, that they look like the sun, beautiful and blinding at the same time. Her eyes move to take in the sharpness of his cheekbones, and the perfect slope of his nose, before her eyes drop to his mouth involuntarily, and she has to push her lips together to stop the gasp that was about to escape. Because they're full and look fucking delicious. His cupids bow -perfectly proportioned, and a bottom lip that has her wanting to bite into it with her teeth.

She evens out her breathing before speaking again, because despite how gorgeous she finds him, or how badly she wants to kiss him, the fact remains that he has basically been stalking her for a week. Maybe longer.

"I don't know what your agenda is, but I don't take to kindly to being watched, unless you have more to tell me about this mystery guy, then I'm afraid we're done here."

And with a courage that she had to to dig deep to find, because damn did she want to kiss him, she grabs Isaac's hand and leads him out of the hotel bar and towards their villa.

**_Stiles sits there watching the beautiful woman walk away, completely baffled and a little dispondant. Well that didn't exactly go to plan. He's not exactly sure how he expected it to go, considering she had been completely right. He was stalking her. He slumps further into his chair, trying to ignore the look his best friend is giving him. It wasn't judgemental, or disapproving, more pitying and apologetic._ **

**_"Maybe next time, just introduce yourself buddy."_ **

~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I finally got the next chapter pumped out. I will apologise in advance for the length, but there was a lot to tell in this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Lydia finds herself preoccupied for the next few days. As much as her and Isaac had been busy, with all their activities, she just couldn't get the interaction with Stiles out of her head. A bevy of emotions have passed through her body, with the latest being intrigue. She desperately wants to know about this man that had her followed, but if she is to believe Stiles, then all he knows is a defunct phone number and email. She sighs heavily before taking another sip of her cocktail, as her mind unintentionally drifts to thoughts of Stiles.

Despite staying in the same hotel, Lydia hadn't run into him again. She wondered if maybe he had left and gone home. It's a logical explanation, as she had no idea how long he was staying in Bali. And she finds herself a little disappointed if that is true, because as much as she can't justify his stalker tendencies, she can't help thinking about him constantly. And in many inappropriate ways. She chastises herself for letting her mind wander down that path. She can't afford to let herself get invested in any sort of relationship. Especially not with a guy who spies on her.

She's so distracted by thoughts of Stiles, that she doesn't hear Isaac approaching. It's not until he is standing right in front of her that she looks up.

“Hey, how was your massage?” She asked a soft smile on her lips.

“Wonderful, invigorating, maybe you should go get one too sweetie.” He said teasingly. “You look so tense and tight.”

He takes the seat next to her at the poolside bar, and hails the waiter.

“I'll have what she's having and better make her another.” Isaac said to the man.

He pulls out his pack of cigarettes and taps one out.

“Those things will kill you one day.” Lydia said in a lack lustre voice.

She's normally a lot more adament and demanding when it came to Isaacs smoking habit, but right now she just doesn't have it in her to chastise him.

“We’re all going to die one day honey.”

The barman returns with their drinks, just as Isaac lights up his smoke. He takes a couple of puffs before turning to Lydia.

“Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong?”

Lydia turned to him with a curious look.

“What do you mean?”

“Lydia, you have been distracted for days now. Has this anything to do with a certain hottie, that may or may not be stalking you?” He wiggles his eyebrows at her.

She slaps his arm.

“Stop it, and as a matter of fact no.” She lied, because he is all she has been able to think about.

“Well, I would understand if you were distracted by him, because sweetheart, he is hot.”

“Shut up.” Her voice laced with amusement. “I'm more distracted by the man that hired him. Who the hell would want to have me followed?”

“I dunno, a past client maybe? A long lost lover.” He says with a smirk on his face.

“You're no help.” She says, drinking the last of her cocktail, and slipping into the cool water of the pool.

The last thing she hears, is Isaac laughing at her as she pushes through the water. Not too long after, Isaac joins her and they stay in the water until their skin starts to prune. They hop out of the water, dry themselves off, and then make their way back down to their villa. They're off to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and music tonight. They take turns in the shower, before getting dressed and then ingesting more alcohol before they head out. They eat, drink some more and dance until their feet hurt.

With their arms looped together they grab a cab, and head back, both desperate for some sleep. Not once since the pool, has Lydia thought about Stiles or the guy, who had paid him to follow her. With her head on Isaac's shoulder, she lets him guide them back to their room. He unlocks the door, helps Lydia inside, and puts her down on the small couch. Lydia can feel her eyelids getting heavy, and just when she thinks she is about to fall asleep, Isaac sits down next to her, and with confusion in his eyes hands Lydia an envelope.

“I found this just inside the door.”

With her curiousity piqued, she takes the envelope, runs her fingers over the messy scrawl that is her name, and slowly opens it. She removes the note inside, unfolds it before trying to decipher the words. With her brain a bit fuzzy from the alcohol, she opens and closes her eyes a few times to get the words to come into focus. Finally when it doesn't look like the words will climb off the page, she runs her eyes over the words, her eyes getting wider and wider, and her mouth almost dropping to her knees, the further down she reads.

 

_Lydia,_

_I want to apologise for being kind of a jerk and a creeper. I'm not usually like that I swear. But something about you kinda intimidates me, and honestly I do stupid things when you're around. I have a confession to make, which probably isn't going win me any awards in your eyes, but I saw you on Christmas Eve at the beach in Sydney. Seems we were watching the same house. Again I had an opportunity to come up and introduce myself, but I couldn't get my legs to work. So I apologise for that as well._

_I'd like to help you find out who this person is that paid me to follow you. With both of us being investigators, maybe if we team up we might be able to track the person down. If you don't want my help I completely understand, and below is the email and phone number I used to get in contact with them. Maybe you know someone in the cyber world that will have better luck tracking it down than me._

_And if by chance you do want my help, my mobile number is the last one at the bottom. Scott and I head home tonight, but I couldn't leave before saying how sorry I was. Hopefully I will hear from you when you get home, because I would really like to help._

_Sincerely Stiles._

 

She lets her eyes run over the last number, completely ignoring the other two details above it, her top teeth biting into her bottom lip. It takes Isaac clicking his fingers in front of her face, for her to come back to reality.

“Well, who is it from? What does it say?”

Lydia turns to look at his expectant face.

“Um, its from Stiles, he wants to help me track down whoever had him follow me.” She answers in a bit of a daze.

She watches as his brow furrows in confusion, before it's being replaced with his mischievous smile.

“Oh boy he has it bad for you.” He tells her.

Lydia rolls her eyes and throws the letter into Isaac's lap. He reads over it and then places it on the coffee table.

“Well if you read between the lines, you can definitely tell he wants you.”

“Isaac, you're not helping. I have no time for a relationship.” She bites back at him.

His hands go up in surrender.

“Who said anything about a relationship, but you might still want to give him a call when we get back, maybe he can help you relieve some of that sexual frustration”

She swipes at his arm, and because they're both still drunk, his reflexes don't allow him to move in time. He grabs the spot where she hit him and his lips pout in mock hurt. Lydia stands up, grabs the letter off the table, and storms in the direction of her room. She kicks off her shoes, just as she walks over the threshold, and then falls face first onto her bed. Stiles’ words run on a loop in her head, as she tries to make sense of it all. And it doesn't help that Isaac was right. She is sexually frustrated. Has been since that first time she saw Stiles in Brisbane.

But he genuinely seems to want to help. Could they work together without letting their primal desires get in the way?

**_Stiles hands the envelope over to the guy behind the desk, explicit instructions as to where it should be delivered, written on the front. He and Scott load their things into the cab, and Stiles closes the boot. He moves to the back door of the cab and halts before opening it. He throws one last look over his shoulder into the lobby of the hotel, a sigh leaving his lips, as he thinks about the words in his note._ **

**_“I hope she actually reads it.” He says to himself before climbing into the cab._ **

~

She hasn't had time to think about anything that happened in Bali, in the two weeks she has been back. Bill had put her to work pretty much straight away. It was another infiltration job, but this time she had help. Lydia didn't normally like working with others, but even she had to admit that having Danny along side her on this one was a big plus. This was his first big job since joining Bills team six months ago. He was a tech nerd and a good one at that. Lydia's knowledge of the cyber world was good, but she had nothing on Danny.

He almost ended up in jail, after being caught hacking into various businesses _‘for fun’_. He never took anything, just wanted to prove to the world that it could be done, despite their top notch anti-viruses. Bill saw his potential and made a deal with the crown prosecutor, before sitting down with Danny in an interrogation room, and laying down his terms to him. Six months in jail or come work for him, where he could put his talents to good use. No prizes for guessing which one he chose. A week later and Danny had joined their team.

Now they sit in their hotel room, going over all the evidence they have found, sorting through it and deciding what information was important. As Danny types away on his laptop, trying to break the passwords for some files containing sensitive information, Lydia is reminded of the words in Stiles’ note.

_‘Maybe you know someone in the cyber world that will have better luck tracking it down than me.’_

She grabs her bag that sits at her feet, pulls out her purse and finds the neatly folded letter hidden behind a twenty dollar note. She has carried it around with her for the past two weeks, not wanting to lose in it in case - you know, she decided she wanted to take Stiles up on his offer. She unfolds the letter, and lets her eyes wander over the words again, the clicking of Danny's fingers on his keyboard the only sound to permeate through the room. She side glances Danny, wondering why she hadn't thought of asking him before.

“Hey Danny.” He looks up from his screen. “How difficult would it be to track down a phone number and an email address that doesn't exist anymore?”

“It depends.”

Then he goes on on to tell her in his technical jargon about the _‘what ifs’_ and the _‘why so's’_.

“English Danny!” Her voice a bit harsher than she wanted it to be.

“Sorry. If you have the number and address it should be simple enough, why?”

She hesitantly hands him the letter, she hasn't shown it to anyone other than Isaac and she's a little nervous. He takes it from her with a cautious expression on his face. He takes a moment to read over the words, and Lydia’s new manicure is in danger of being ruined.

“So you want to know who was tracking you?” He asks, Lydia just nods. “Sure thing, I'll look into it now. You wanna grab us a couple of beers, it might take a while.”

Lydia rises from her seat and makes a beeline for the minibar, completely thankful that Danny had enough tact to not ask who Stiles was. She's not sure she is quite ready to talk about him again yet - let alone tell a guy she's barely known for six months, that she may or may not be interested in him. She pops the caps off the bottles and hands one over to Danny. He has his concentrating face on so, Lydia decides to let him be, she grabs her iPhone and walks into her room. She sits down on the bed, and contemplates whether what she was about to do was a good idea or not.

She opens up her contacts and scrolls down to the S’s. Her thumb hovers over his name as she takes a long draw of her beer. Does she text him, or call him? Which of the two would seem less desperate? She finishes her drink before she decides to take a chance, but just as she's about to hit the call button, Danny yells to her from the other room. She sighs heavily, before closing out his contact number and gets to her feet. She places the empty bottle into the bin, and then continues on to the living area.

Danny has his computer turned around and a wide grin across his face.

“You did it?” He nods, his eyes alight with excitement.

She closes the distance and then sits down on the soft couch. He turns the laptop towards hers and Lydia is met with a short man, not more than five foot ten, with greying red hair. Her eyes move to the name that sits above the photo. _Lindsey Gordon_. Under the name is a description. Business entrepreneur from Sydney who apparently is worth millions. She zooms in to the picture of the man that apparently paid Stiles to follow her. She scrutinises the photo a little more and a soft gasp leaves her mouth, when she sees familiar eyes looking back at her. _Her eyes_.

“No.” She mumbles. “It can't be.”

“Lydia? You okay.” She hears Danny ask, but she can't take her eyes off the photo in front of her. “Lydia?”

“Yeah, no, I don't know.” She answers still a little bewildered.

Why after all these years would he be trying to find her? This man has no business knowing about her life. She can feel a tear falling down her cheek, as she lets the reality of the situation settle in. Her biological father - it has too be, or at least a relation of some kind. Their features are too similar for him not to be. She sits back against the couch and swipes angrily at the tears on her face. She's not sure when Danny came over and put his arm around her shoulder, but she let her head fall against him, as the man with the green eyes stared back at her from the laptop.

“Who is he?” Danny asks softly against her ear.

“I-I’m not sure, but I think that might be my biological father, or at least someone related to me.” She tells him honestly.

“I found out I was adopted after my parents died. It didn't bother me. I was happy not knowing who my birth parents were. Wasn't even interested in finding them.”

“What about now, now that you know he's been having you followed?” Danny questions. “Maybe this Stiles knows more, maybe you can ask him.”

Lydia shakes her head.

“He doesn't. He's the one who gave me the details, because he couldn't track down who it was. I don't know how to feel.”

Danny just hugs her tighter, before suggesting maybe they need some food.

“I think I'm just going to go to bed. Too much information running through my brain.” Lydia tells him. “We'll get back to working on the other thing in the morning.”

Danny nods and Lydia thanks him, before making her way back to her room. She changes into her pajamas and climbs in under the sheets, her brain still ticking over at a hundred miles an hour. She closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep, but the image of the man keeps invading her thoughts. Then suddenly Stiles’ face flashes behind her eyes, and for some unknown reason she seems compelled to let him know what she had just found out. Wants to tell him in fact. She sits up against the headboard, grabs her phone and once again brings up his number.

This time she doesn't hesitate and hits the call button. He answers only after a few rings, albeit a little groggily.

“Hello?”

“Hi Stiles, its Lydia.”

**_He was just about asleep when his phone rang beside him. He looks over at his bedside clock to see that it was one am. He pushes himself up on his elbow and grabs his phone, answering it without looking at the screen. He says hello and then he is suddenly wide awake, when he hears the voice on the other end. He sits up straight, his heart thrumming in his chest._ **

**_“Lydia. Hi.”_ **

~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Stiles come together to find out who this mysterious man is.
> 
> I've added a new tag 'Slow Burn', because it seems to be taking me forever to get these two together in a more passionate way.
> 
> Hopefully that will all change in the next chapter :)
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Two days later and Lydia sits at her favourite cafe, on her second cup of coffee already, her leg bouncing nervously, as she constantly checks the door to see if he has arrived yet. They had talked for a good half an hour on the phone, while Lydia explained what her and her colleague had found out. He had simultaneously seemed excited and shocked that she had called. To be honest, so was she. As the conversation started to come to an end, Stiles was the one to suggest they meet up. Lydia didn't even think twice, before she said yes.

She had decided to take him up on his offer to help track down the man, who may or may not be her biological father. If for no other reason than to tell said man to butt out of her life. Today her and Stiles were going to work out a plan to approach this man. She has all the details, thanks to Danny. A home address, phone number and email, but there were too many uncertainties, and Lydia didn't like not knowing everything about a situation, before jumping in head first. That's why she had said yes to meeting Stiles. Someone with an outside perspective.

Was he seeking her out because he regrets putting her up for adoption, or is he dying and wants to make good with his biological daughter? Is he her father at all, or some relative who feels a need to connect with her? These were all questions that were unnerving, and a bit mind boggling for the normally level-headed former cop. In the academy they're taught to displine their mind, to not let anything distract them from their work. Until recently, this hadn't been a problem. Now with what has happened, her mind is scattered and her discipline is waning.

And it's not just because of the news she found out two days ago. Stiles Stilinski had been the biggest distraction. Since New Year and Bali, he is constantly on her mind. If she's not thinking about him during the day, she is dreaming about him at night. It's not a feeling she is familiar with, as she has never really been this interested in any man before. She had admitted to herself, after reading that note for the first time, that she was very interested in getting to know him better, and it's probably the reason why she had said yes so quickly when he asked to meet up.

An strange sensation, that is becoming extremely familiar to her lately, has her looking up suddenly. Her heart starts to speed up, as she watches him cross the street towards her. He lifts one hand up and waves at her, his mouth set wide in a large smile, and Lydia has about ten seconds to get a grip, before he is pulling the chair out opposite her and sitting down.

“Hi.” He greets.

“Hello.” She replied a slight quiver to her voice.

Okay so she is nervous, and it looks like he is too, as they don't know what else to say to each other. Luckily one of the wait staff come over and ask Stiles if he wants coffee. He reels off his order, and within a matter of seconds they're back to sitting in quiet uncomfortable silence.

“Maybe we....”

“I wanted....”

They say at the same time, causing the pair of them to chuckle softly.

“Sorry, you go first.” Stiles offered with a smile.

She nods and then takes a deep breath.

“I just wanted to apologise for dragging you into this.” She begins. “I mean, we don't really know each other and....shit....I don't normally do this.”

His eyebrows go up in question.

“I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you.”

He just continues to set her with that disarming smile that seems to be her achilles heel.

“I don't mind. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to help.” He pointed out. “But you're right, we barely know each other, so maybe we should change that.”

It was Lydia's turn to look at him with quizzical eyes.

“Ask me anything.” He adds, just as his coffee is placed on the table.

Lydia thought about what she wanted to ask. Because in all honesty she really does want to know anything he is willing to tell her, and she finds herself wanting him to know about her as well.

“Okay then. How did you get into the business?” She figured it was a safe enough question.

“Same way as you probably did. Started out as a cop, lasted a year before I decided I didn't like the way it was run.” He explains. “My turn.”

She eyed him carefully as he pondered his question.

“Any brothers or sisters?”

She shook her head no, and then went on to explain about how she was adopted. They continued their game of twenty questions, staying completely in the safe zone, and before Lydia knew it, they had been going back and forth for half an hour. In that time she found out that he too was an only child, that his mum died when he was young, and that he lives twenty minutes away from her apartment. His favourite colour is blue, he likes all kinds of music, and don't get him started on Star Wars. She in turn had answered all his questions as well.

She realises they have quite a bit in common, they enjoy the same music, they both went through the public school system, top of their classes. It was nice to meet someone who was probably as smart as she was. She found that she actually liked talking to Stiles, liked being in his company. She found herself mesmerised by his long fingers, wondering how they would feel against her skin. Without her permission, her eyes constantly drift to his lips. She's so lost in them, imagining them against her own, that she's not sure if she heard what he asked next properly.

“What?”

He smiles at her knowingly, and she has to wonder if he caught her staring.

“Do you have a boyfriend, husband, significant other?”

The question threw her off guard. They had managed to stay away from such subjects, and it had her wondering why he wanted to know.

“No.” She answered curtly. “You?”

She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for his response. She's not sure why she's so nervous to hear his answer - well maybe she is, because she knows what answer she is wanting to hear. He shakes his head, and Lydia let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. They both seemed to be satisfied with each other's responses, and then their conversation went back to more pressing issues. Like, who the hell is this Lindsey Gordon, and what does he want from her? After another hour and more coffee, they had somewhat of a plan in place.

They go over all the logistics and decide that they will tail the guy, gather all the information they need, before confronting the man. They organise to fly to Sydney on Friday, to put their plan in motion. Getting the time off won't be an issue, in fact Bill will probably be ecstatic that she wants time off. She is excited about the prospect of spending time with Stiles. Shocked by the feeling, she suddenly stands, throws a few dollars on the table, and goes to say her goodbyes. When she finally finds the courage to look at him, he looks confused and maybe a little bit disappointed.

“Sorry, I should go.” She explains.

He just nods and stands up too.

**_He stands too, disappointed that their meeting was over. He had hoped to maybe get to find out a little more about her, but she looks to be a little unsure, so there was no point in pressing the issue. He smiled, then offered her his hand. They had never had any sort of physical contact before, so when she placed her hand in his, he had a hard time containing his excitement, at the feel of her soft palm against his more calloused one._ **

**_“So, see you Friday.” She just nodded, then turned and left._ **

~

She checked and double checked that she had everything she needed. Then she did up the suitcase. Then she turned to her camera case. Tripod, camera, and lenses were all packed away. Memory cards, extra batteries and charger were in a seperate pocket. Once she was happy, she zipped that up too. After she got home from her meeting with Stiles, the first thing she did was call Bill. She explained to him what she had found out, and what she was doing about it. He just replied with telling her to be safe.

The next thing she did was message Stiles her address. In her haste to get away - because of the foreign feelings she had felt, she had completely forgotten they had agreed to met at her place, and go to the airport together in his car. Why she had agreed she's not sure, she puts it down to temporary insanity. Then she got on her computer, found flights and looked for suitable accomodation. She found an apartment close to where the man lived, on Stayz.com, and quickly sent the owners an email asking if she could rent the place for a week.

Lindsey Gordon lived in one of Sydneys affluent suburbs. Double Bay is about as expensive as it gets. She had gotten Danny to do a little more digging on the man, and he found out that he lives about a kilometre back from Double Bay beach, in a massive mansion, only a four kilometre trek into the business district, where his offices were. So tailing him from his house to work would be easy. After she had confirmation that she was able to stay in the apartment, Lydia decided a shower was in order.

That's when her nerves kicked in. A whole week with a guy she barely knew. A guy she desperately wanted to get close to, but still she was nervous. A whole week of living in a bedroom down the hall from him. Seeing him everyday, and trying to pretend that she doesn't want to rip his clothes off. Then that of course leads to images of him naked, washing in the bathroom that they will be sharing. A whole week of denying how badly she wanted him. God what had she been thinking when she'd said yes to this?

She closed off her mind, and tried to get rid of the troubling thoughts. It lasted about a minute before her mind would drift back to Stiles, and the firm toned body that she knows lives under the tee shirts and flannel he wears. _Stop it!_ She scolded herself mentally. They were both adults. This shouldn't be a problem. Besides she had been able to work with Danny living in the room right down the hall from her, just a few weeks ago. Of course she hadn't feel any sexual attraction towards Danny, so that wasn't an issue.

A loud banging on her front door interrupted her thoughts. Then Prada started to bark. Shit, he's here. She quickly looks at her reflection in the mirror, then she chastised herself for being so stupid. She walked out of her room, down the hallway and stopped at the door. She inhaled deeply as she grabbed the handle, and then she released it as she opened the door. He stood there, with his back to her at first, then he turned, and he was wearing that smile of his that has the ability to render her speechless. Prada was still nipping at her heels.

“Prada heel.” She ordered and instantly she shut up.

She looked back up at the handsome man before her.

“Hi.” She greeted.

“Hey. Sorry I'm a bit early.” He apologised, as he continued to smile.

Lydia mentally shook her head and gestured for him to come in.

“It's okay. I'm ready anyway. Just finished up going over my check list.” She informed him.

He stepped over her threshold and she noticed how hesitant he was. She pushed past him a little to guide him through her hallway. Her hallway that now seems very tight with his body so close to hers. Prada moved through his legs and then zipped into the kitchen.

“Did you want coffee, we've got a bit of time.” She asked, as she lead him to the kitchen.

“Sure.”

She walked behind the kitchen counter and flipped the kettle on, averting her eyes at all times. He decided to stand on the other side, and Prada sat panting at his feet. Worried that her dog might be a bit of a deterrent, she went to shoo Prada away. But before any words left her mouth, he knelt down on the floor and started to pet her.

“Well aren't you the cutest little thing.” He commented, as he rubbed behind her ears.

He looked up at Lydia, a glean in his eyes.

“Is she coming with us?” He asked, not a hint of teasing in his voice.

“Ah, no, she can be a bit of a distraction, also too much trouble getting her through all the right channels for the plane. I will have to drop her off at my friends house.” She started. “I hope that's okay?”

He nodded his head, as he picked Prada up into his arms and continued to stroke between her ears. The dog purred like a cat.

“Well looks like you've found a friend for life.” Lydia laughed.

She quickly made two coffees and then pushed his in front of him. He placed Prada back on the ground, but the dog took up position at his feet and didn't move. He pulled out one of the stools and sat down, the drop in height now bought him eye level with Lydia. She tried to look away, but the blinding gold of his eyes drew her in. She sipped on her too hot coffee, and peered at him over the rim of the cup. It's only when she felt her cheeks heating up, that she pried herself away from his eyes.

Once Prada realised that the new persons attention wasn't focused on her anymore, she padded out of the room, leaving Lydia and Stiles alone.

“So, you sure you're ready for this?” He queried carefully.

Lydia pondered Stiles’ question. Was she ready? She's not sure. She's been wondering about what she will do, when she finally confronts this man. She decided that she just had be strong and stick to her guns. She basically just wants to find out who he is, and then inform the man that she wants nothing to do with him. For him to stay away from her and to stop digging into her life. She will admit she's pretty nervous, it's probably the reason why she had agreed to Stiles joining her, you know, strength in numbers and all that.

“Yes.” She told him with as much conviction as she could muster.

They finished their coffees, and then Stiles helped Lydia take her stuff to the car. She grabbed Prada, put the alarm on and closed and locked the front door. In no time they were at Allison’s dropping off Prada. When Ally peered over her shoulder at Stiles sitting in the car in the driveway, she sent Lydia a mischievous grin. The type of grin that has Lydia cringing at Allison’s implications. She kissed Prada goodbye, gave Ally a hug and went back to the car. Not once did she look back in Ally's direction, fearful of the smirk her friend would be wearing.

They arrived at the airport half an hour later, parked in the long term car park, and climbed onto the bus that would take them to the terminal. They quickly checked in and made their way through security. They had a couple of hours before the flight left, so they found somewhere to eat and have a beer. They spent the time go over the details of their week, and then relaxed a little as they chatted and drank their beer. Before long their flight was being called over the PA. They took their place in line and then handed over their boarding passes.

They boarded the plane, stowed their carry ons in the overhead cabins, and then took their seats. Still feeling a little nervous, at sitting so close to the man she constantly thought about, Lydia pulled out her phone and headphones, and immediately chose a playlist that would last the hour and a half flight. When she chanced a look in Stiles’ direction he was doing the same. She smiled and wondered if he was as nervous as she was. Half an hour later they're in the air and on their way to find some answers.

**_He knows she's wary. He is a little too he supposes, but he feels like the luckiest man alive to be spending the next week with her. She has always been so far out of reach. The fact that she trusted him enough to let him help and be involved, speaks volumes in his mind. The pilots voice comes over the speaker. He turns to Lydia and nudges her awake. She opens her eyes slowly and sends him a questioning look._ **

**_“We’re landing.”_ **

~


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've had a crazy busy life lately. This chapter is kind of a prelude to what's to come in the next chapter, which I've written half of already.
> 
> Italics in the second half of the chapter are for Lydia's flashback.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> PS. Saw American Assassin on Friday night. Wow, what a great movie and DOB is fantastic in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

They arrived in Sydney at two thirty pm. They got their rental car and drove to their home for the next week. It was a nice place. The pictures on the internet had not done it justice. Two large rooms with an adjoining bathroom. A open lounge and kitchen area. And the best part was the balcony off the lounge room, that coincidentally looked almost into the back yard, of the man they were going to be watching. With Danny's help, Lydia had found out that, Lindsey Gordon and his family always leave the house on a Saturday morning at nine am.

He goes to his golf club, and his wife and two teenage daughters head off for their weekly spa. So tomorrow they start digging to find out who this guy is. They will follow him to his golf club and try to blend in. It's what they were going to do most of the week, as Danny had conveniently acquired his itinerary. So for the next week the two of them will be going everywhere he goes. They continue to go about getting their gear set up, before Stiles mention something about food, at which time Lydia's stomach grumbled.

They decide to head out and find a place to eat, considering they didn't have any food in the house. It's unusually warm for this time of year, so they drive down to the beach and find a seafood restaurant. Lydia orders just normal fish and chips, while Stiles orders a bit of everything. They wash it all down with a couple of beers. They pick up their conversation from where it had ended last week, and continue to discover more about each other. Lydia tells him more about her friends, and Stiles does the same.

It's a little after seven thirty pm when they head back to the apartment. Stiles quickly goes to check on the cameras, and Lydia puts away a few of the essentials they picked up on their way back. Just as she's pulling a couple of beers out of the fridge, her phone goes off with a text message, in her back pocket. She places the bottles on the counter and pulls her phone out. Pressing the home button she sees part of the text and who it's from. Swiping the screen and then pressing in her passcode, she reads the message from Isaac.

**_7.48pm - Hey girl. Just wanted to make sure you got to Sydney okay. Also, any hottie action?_ **

Lydia rolled her eyes at the innuendo, and the laughing emoji that ended the text. She quickly typed out a reply.

**_7.50pm - Got here fine, and get your mind out of the gutter._ **

She hit send, put the phone on silent and went back to opening the two bottles of beer. She padded her way through the apartment, until she found Stiles sitting behind one of the cameras. She felt her phone vibrate but ignored it, as she gathered all her courage and continued into the room, and out onto the balcony. He startled when she tapped his shoulder, but turned to her with that smile that was quickly becoming her undoing. She offered him the beer and then sat down next to him in the spare chair, putting her phone on the chair beside her.

“Thanks.” He said, accepting the icy cold beer.

He took a long draw, and Lydia was mesmerised by the column of his neck, as he tipped the bottle back. She had no control over her eyes, as they mapped out the spattering of moles that climbed up from his neck to his jaw. She noticed he had a bit of stubble covering his cheeks and chin, and she shifted in her chair, as she imagined what it would feel like against her skin. Her eyes continued up to where his mouth was wrapped around the bottle, and she had to mash her lips together to stop the noise that was about to escape her throat.

_Damn Isaac for putting ideas into her head._

She closed her eyes tight and tried to get her hormones in check. They were here to work, despite the copious amount of tension that sizzled between them. She made sure her breathing was in check before she opened her eyes again. When she did, he was staring at her with a quizzical look on his face. Shit. Had he caught her admiring his profile? Had that noise left her mouth without her actually realising? Fuck! Why had she agreed to let him come again? Because she had wanted him to be the one to help her, and because she couldn't deny her attraction to him anymore.

“You okay?” He questioned, his voice doing all sorts of things to her insides.

All she could manage was a nod of her head, before she stood up, deciding she needed a shower to wash away the prickly feeling running over her skin. He watched her carefully, but didn't say anything. She told him her intentions, and he nodded before telling her he wants to call his dad anyway. She throws a quick look over her shoulder as she heads towards the hallway, only to find him still watching her, but instead of the quizzical look on his face, he looked at her with reverence and....was that a hint of desire? She turned her head back and quickened her pace.

She walks into the bedroom she had claimed, and threw herself face down onto her bed. Damn it! How was she going to last the week if he continued to look at her that way? Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly pushed herself up, climbed off the bed and made a beeline for her suitcase. She gathers her toiletries and pajamas and opens her side of the bathroom. Her hand lingers on the lock of the connecting door, visions of Stiles sneaking in if she left it open, swimming behind her eyes.

‘Get it together Lydia.’ She scolds herself, as she flicks the lock.

She leans into the cubicle and turns on the water. While it reaches temperature she starts to undress, she tries really hard not to think about how it would feel if Stiles was undressing her, but as she undoes the zip of her skirt, she can't help but wonder how those longer fingers would ghost over her skin. Or when she lifts her top off over head, how she would feel with him watching her with those whiskey eyes. Don't even get her started on the desire that courses through her, as she unclips her bra and removes her underwear.

Shaking the images from her head she climbs into the shower, and lets the warm water wash away all lingering thoughts of Stiles and his hands and his eyes. Unfortunately those images come flooding back, when her hands run soap over her body. Letting herself picture how his hands would feel caressing her breasts, or running smooth circles over her stomach. She was unaware of how long she was in the shower, before she hears knocking on the connecting door, followed by her name.

“Shit.” She grumbled, before turning off the water and grabbing the towel off the rail. “I'm finished. Give me a sec.”

**_After finishing up his call with his dad, Stiles went inside to grab another bottle of beer. He could hear the water running in the bathroom, and he swore at himself for letting his mind wander to Lydia being naked, only a few metres away. He adjusted himself as he went back out onto the balcony. When his bladder screamed at him to be relieved, he had no choice but to try and push down his lewd thoughts, and go and knock on the connecting door._ **

**_“Lydia, I need to use the bathroom.”_ **

~

They had made sure to park a few houses back, so as to not look suspicious. It was eight forty five am, and Lydia and Stiles sat in the car waiting for their subject to leave his house. Stiles sat in the drivers seat, watching for the black Mercedes Benz to come out of the driveway, while Lydia was just trying to keep her eyes open. She was on her third cup of coffee, and stifling another yawn behind her hand. She hadn't slept very well last night, tossing and turning trying to get the image of Stiles naked, only metres away from her, out of her head.

_She was just about to leave the room to find her phone, when she had heard the water starting to run. She had stood as still as a statue, her eyes were wide and her heart was beating hard against her chest. Stiles was naked behind that door. Yes, she had seen the top half of him naked before, and she still dreams about those broad shoulders, and the way she had seen him supposedly screwing his female partner - which he actually wasn't, but it hadn't stopped Lydia dreaming about him taking her like that._

_Hell, she needed to sit down, and try and get her heart to slow down. She had placed her bum on the edge of the bed, and tried to get rid of the images. She stared out the window for the longest time, trying to think of something - anything, to distract her from the fact that he was naked. It wasn't until she'd heard the water turn off, that she came out of her daze. Except now she had a different problem, as she imagined him running a soft white towel, identical to the one she used, all over his body. Fuck!_

_It was the knock on her bedroom door that startled her back to reality. Looking down at the pajamas she wore, and chastising herself for behaving like a horny sixteen year old, she swapped out her small shorts for some leggings, tied her still wet hair up into a messy bun on top of her head, and then inhaled and exhaled to get her breathing in check. Another knock and she finally managed to get her feet to work, and padded over to the door. Her hand lingered on the door handle, before she mentally scolded herself again and opened it quickly._

_He stood in the door, all six foot of him in track pants and a faded navy top, that stretched across his chest. He wore that smile of his and Lydia was glad she had been holding onto the door, or she might've collapsed right there in front of him._

_“Hi.” She had managed to say, as her eyes focused on a spot behind his shoulder._

_“Hi, I just wanted to let you know I'm heading to bed. We've got an early start tomorrow.” He explained._

_And Lydia couldn't explain why the news had disappointed her. He had said goodnight and turned and headed to his room. Lydia stood there for a while watching his retreating back, all the things she had tried to forget came flooding back._

And that was why she hadn't slept and felt like she had been run over by a truck, because every time she had tried to close her eyes last night, his long toned body would flash behind her eyelids. She had a hard time looking at him this morning, as they sat on opposite sides of the table drinking their preferred coffee. He seemed to be struggling too, and by the looks of the dark circles under his eyes now, he must not have slept well either. Was it because of the same reasons she couldn't sleep? Who knew, but his inability to look at her that morning had her thinking maybe it was.

A nudge on her shoulder had her looking in his direction. He nodded his head towards the windshield, and Lydia's heart rate picked up when she saw what he was nodding too. The black Mercedes pulled out from the driveway, and Stiles only waited half a beat longer to start the rental car. They stayed a couple of cars behind, as they drove the eight kilometres to his preferred golf club. When they drove through the gates and into the car park, Stiles parked the car four cars down from their target. He shut off the engine and turned to Lydia.

“Ready?”

Lydia adjusted the dark wig she was wearing, before nodding at him. Stiles put on his fake glasses, and then the two of them climbed out of the car. They discreetly followed behind the man, and who they assumed to be some sort of bodyguard. They moved into the equipment hire place, and watched as the older man was escorted to where the buggys were. Once they paid for their clubs and buggy hire, they headed in the same direction. Lydia had no idea how to play golf, but Stiles did, and that was what their cover was going to be.

They had come up with the plan yesterday over lunch. They would pretend to be a new couple, and that Stiles would pretend to teach Lydia how to golf. They made sure they were on the same circuit as Lindsey Gordon, and once there they started their cover. The older man had looked over and given both of them a brief nod, in which the young couple returned, before they set off to play. Lydia and Stiles stood back and watched the man and his now companion, tee off, and once they got in the buggy to head down the green, Lydia stepped up to her tee, with Stiles close behind.

Yesterday, when they came up with their plan, Lydia hadn't thought too much about the logistics. Now though, with Stiles’ hands on her hips, trying to get her stance right, Lydia was heading into a tailspin. And when his hands came down to cover hers over the club, she was pretty sure she was about to pass out. With her back to his front, and his gorgeous body looming over her, and his breath against her ear, as he tries to explain everything to her, Lydia had a hard time concentrating.

She's not sure what happened next, but she heard the club hit the ball, and felt Stiles’ body move with hers. It's not until he moves away from her that Lydia relaxes somewhat. She turns to face him, and straight away she notices the blush covering his tanned cheeks.

“Ah, not bad, wanna try it on your own?” His hand going to the back of his neck, his eyes firmly on the ground.

No she didn't, she wanted him to put his hands on her again, not that she could tell him that.

“Sure.”

He placed another ball on the tee and then stood back a little, and Lydia tried to remember her stance and the technique he had shown her. But all she could think about was his large hands on her hips and his minty breath swimming across her ear, so sufficed to say when she swung at the ball, she missed it completely. However she wasn't disappointed, because he came back to her, and she had to bite down on the breathy sigh of contentment that threatened to leave her mouth, when he covered her body with his again.

After fifteen minutes, she finally got the hang of it, and the two of them suddenly remembered why they were here. They quickly moved along the green, to try and catch up with their target. Once they did, they followed him for the reminder of the course. If the guy had figured out that they were following him, he didn't show it. At least not until they were back at the hire place, and he turned towards them both with a quizzical look on his face. She couldn't tell you if he figured it out or not, because Stiles had pulled her to him and leant down to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

It was brief and didn't last more than a few seconds, but Lydia's insides were doing somersaults at the feel of his slightly chapped lips on her own. When he pulled away, Lydia's eyes took the longest time to open. When they did, the space between her eyebrows creased as she looked up into his whiskey ones. He wore a shy smile and his cheeks had turned red again, his hands still lingering on her hips a little. She hadn't even felt them there, too intoxicated by finally having his lips on hers.

“Sorry, but he was trying to figure out if he knew us or not, and I figured if he couldn't see your face, then he would....you know....walk away.”

Right of course, their cover. He had kissed her to stop Lindsey figuring out who she was. Not because he wanted too, or because he felt drawn to her the way she did to him. It was merely so they weren't discovered. Lydia pushed down her disappointment and plastered on a smile before answering.

“Good thinking. Maybe we should head of. We don't want to lose him.”

She turned and headed in the direction of the door, not seeing the disappointed look on his face.

**_What was he thinking, just kissing her like that? He took his chance when the Gordon guy was scrutinising them both. It was a good cover, to hide the fact that he'd been struggling to not kiss her all day. As he watches her walk towards the door, he scolds himself for lying about his reason to kiss her, because if her reaction to his lips on hers was anything to go by, then she enjoyed the brief kiss as much as he did._ **

**_“Idiot.” He grumbled to himself, as he quickened his pace to catch up with her._ **

~


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you shocked? Two updates in less than a week. Also this chapter is a little longer than normal.
> 
> Lydia and Stiles can't fight their attraction to one another anymore, and I apologise for taking so long to get them here :)
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Lydia looked at her reflection in the mirror, hardly recognising the woman staring back at her. Technically that's probably more to do with the fact, that she has once again donned her dark wig. But deep down she knows, it has quite a lot to do with the way she has been feeling ever since Stiles kissed her. It's been two days since the kiss, and Lydia has been torturing herself every minute since. Reliving the way his lips had felt moulded against her own. Even though it was brief, electricity had coursed through her.

His hands on her hips, had added to the fire that had stemmed from low in her belly. She wondered, if she had imagined how his fingers dug into the flesh just above her pants. Or the noise that left the back of his throat, when her hands had flown to his chest. But then she remembers why he kissed her and her heart plummets. She shakes her head and once again looks at her reflection. She smooths her hands over the front of her dress, makes sure her wig is attached properly, then turns and heads out to join Stiles.

Tonight they were pretending to be a couple again, as they attend a function that Lindsey and his wife Melanie will be at. Some business awards thing, being held at the Star Casino. Lydia has tried her hardest to not let the kiss that they had shared, or his reasons for it, affect her. Despite the fact though, she had somehow put a bit of space between them without actually meaning too. However if he had noticed he hadn't said anything, and had continued on the next day, as if it hadn't even happened. Which to some degree annoyed Lydia, even though it shouldn't.

She stepped into the living area, pulling up short when she saw him, with his back to her on the phone to someone. He wore all black, and even from behind she could tell he looked good. He hadn't noticed her yet, whether that was because he was distracted by the phone call, or that he hadn't heard her come in, she wasn't sure, but she was taking the time, while he was distracted, to ogle the way the pants hugged his ass beautifully. Her gaze moved from his backside up to his shoulders, that somehow looked more welcoming in a dress shirt, than they had naked.

She was just about to step further into the room, when he finally turned and saw her. His face changed dramatically from frustration to unabashed happiness, as the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled at her. Lydia could feel her skin flushing under the fabric of her dress, as his eyes raked over her. And a tiny bit of excitement washed over her, when she realised he was checking her out. He wrapped up his phone call and with a determined step, he closed the distance between them in mere seconds.

“You look incredible.” He commented, as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, his eyes never leaving hers.

She broke the eye contact, suddenly shy and completely turned on by the dark chocolate colour, his eyes had turned.

“Thanks, you look good too.” She responded, trying to not show him how nervous she had suddenly become. “Um, we should go.”

Her words broke whatever trance he was in, and he stepped away from her a little, then turned to retrieve his jacket that hung on the back of one of the chairs. Lydia let out a little noise of annoyance, her breath pushing the long locks of her wig away from her face. She quickly composed herself, as he turned back around and offered her his hand. She bit down on the moan that threatened to spill from her mouth at the contact, when she placed her hand in his. The sensation was just as exciting, and disarming as his hands on her hips had been.

They had ordered an uber for tonight, instead of taking their rental car, and when it pulled up in front of the apartment, Stiles opened the door for her and helped her climb in. She moved to the other side of the back seat and put her seatbelt on, trying not to crease her cocktail dress. Stiles joined her not long after, and although she had hoped that he would maybe sit in the middle of the seat - because she desperately wanted him to hold her hand again - she wasn't shocked when he stayed on the other side and swiftly put his belt on.

The ride to the casino was quiet, except for the music coming from the radio, and there was a tension that bubbled between them. Sizzled really, if Lydia was being honest. Her eyes drifted over to him a few times, and she smiled to herself, when she saw he quickly looked away, as if he had been sneaking glances at her too. The driver pulled up in front of the casino and a valet opened her door for her. She climbed out gracefully, considering how tight her dress was, and waited while Stiles hopped out after her.

Once again she smoothed out her dress as he straightened his jacket, then he offered her his arm. She placed her hand through the crook of his elbow, and together they walked into the busy casino. And to anyone who looked, they would look like any other couple attending the award show. But if they looked closely, they would see the smiles they offered people as they walked in we're strained, and that Lydia's palms were starting to sweat. They found their table easy enough, and their pretend names written on place cards in front of them.

The two of them shared a look, and Stiles nodded curtly at her as he started to pull out her chair. She placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

“Actually Sam.” She began, making sure to address him by his fake name. “I'm just going to head to the ladies room.”

She needed to get her hormones under control, and the ladies room seemed like the perfect place to do that.

“No worries Nicki, I'll get us some drinks.” He answered, as she turned on her heel to leave.

She politely pushed her way through the throngs of people, and found the rest rooms with ease. She pushed through the large wooden door, and immediately made her way to the bank of mirrors that ran along one wall. She placed her clutch next to the sink, and then took in her apperance in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed and once again she noticed how clammy her hands were. She grabbed at her clutch and pulled out her compact, running the powder over her cheeks to try and hide the redness there. Then she turned on the fancy tap and ran her hands under the water.

She hadn't noticed anyone else in the room with her, until a petite figure stood beside her. Her hands stilled on the end of her wig, as she realised she was looking at Mrs Lindsey Gordon. She wasn't much taller than Lydia, even in the stilettos she wore. Her platinum blonde hair, which was obviously a dye job, was tucked away neatly in a french bun. She didn't look much older than Lydia either, with her flawless makeup, but Lydia knew better and on closer inspection, could see the tell tale signs of plastic surgery on the woman's face.

“God I hate these things.” She groaned as she reapplied her lipstick.

Lydia wasn't sure what to say, still a little blindsided by the woman next to her.

“It's always the same boring people, and the same bitchy wives, who think they're better than everyone else, you know what I mean?” She continued.

All Lydia could do was nod, fearful that she might give away her cover if she said anything. The woman found Lydia's eyes in the mirror, and scrutinised her for a bit before she shook her head.

“Haven't seen you before. Although you look familiar. This your first one of these things?”

Lydia fought off the nerves, wondering briefly if the woman next to her saw the similar features that Lydia shared with her husband. Then she conjured up the story that her and Stiles had come up with, and answered the woman as calmly as she could.

“Yes, my husband and I are new to the scene. Just starting out. We were lucky to get an invite.” She smiled at the woman. “Well enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Then Lydia moved out of the rest room as fast as she could, not giving the lady any chance to look at her any deeper. With her head down, she found her way back to the table. She was shocked when she got there to see Stiles surrounded by two beautiful young women, that bore a striking resemblance to the woman Lydia had just left in the bathroom. Fuck, the daughters. How was it possible that they had garnered the attention of the family they were spying on? She stood up a little, and had to stifle laughter behind her lips, as she saw the panicked look on Stiles’ face.

She moved the short distance towards him and pushed herself up against his side.

“Honey. I leave you for a few minutes, and all the pretty girls are fawning over you.” She addressed him teasingly.

She leaned up on her toes and placed a quick kiss to his cheek, before turning to face the twin stunned faces staring back at her.

“Hi, I'm Nicole, or Nicki as my husband here calls me.” She explained, holding her hand out to the two young ladies.

Like a switch had been flipped, the two plastered on what Lydia assumed were fake smiles, and introduced themselves as Layla and Zoe, then they turned and walked away. Once they were well out of Lydia and Stiles’ space, she heard Stiles exhale loudly. Still trying to fight down the chuckle that was threatening to spill, she started to untangle herself from his arm, that was hanging over her shoulder. But his hand clamped down on her arm, and the prickly sensation from his touch, had her heart racing behind her chest.

“Thank you.” He whispered against her hair, before he pulled out her chair for her to sit down.

**_He tried to remain calm, as the two young girls, stood either side of him flirting. He had to hide his relief when he saw Lydia walking towards them, with a smirk on her lips. When she leaned herself against his body, he was thankful that his dress pants were slightly loose. He threw his arm over her shoulder, as she introduced herself. When they turned and left, she tried to pull away, but he held on tight and whispered against her hair._ **

_**“Thank you.”** _

~

After the initial run-ins with the women of the Gordon family, the rest of the night went by without incident. Lydia and Stiles continued to pretend to be a young married couple in love, who are just starting out in the business, all the while they kept a close eye on their subject. They got to eat a good meal, drank all the free alcohol they wanted, and mingled with the crowd the best they could. She wasn't afraid to admit that she was actually enjoying herself with Stiles. Pretending to be someone else.

As the night wore on and the alcohol started to take over, Lydia felt herself get a little braver with Stiles. A hand on the chest here, a soft peck to the cheek there, and Lydia's alcohol addled brain was certain, that they were heading for a collision that neither of them would come back from. And Lydia didn't want to. She had admitted a while ago that she was attracted to Stiles, although she's not sure how deep that attraction is. But with the way he has reacted to her tonight, she's pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Stiles was the one that suggested they danced, and she took his hand willingly as he lead her to the dance floor. Excitement gushing through every nerve ending of her body. By that stage the presentations were over, and Lydia was more than a little tipsy as she leaned her head on Stiles’ shoulder. She couldn't tell you what song was playing, because she was a little dizzy from being wrapped in Stiles’ arms. His hands sat low on her back, his head close to hers and his breath tickling her ear, every time he said something.

When the song ended, she once again excused herself to the bathroom. He looked a little worried that maybe he had pushed her too far. She wasn't running away, she needed him to understand that, she actually did need the bathroom. So she set him with a small smile, gathered all the courage she had, prayed to anyone that was listening that he wanted it as much as her, and left a soft kiss to his lips. When she lowered herself to the floor again, she looked up at him through her eyelashes, and saw his eyes wide and dark with desire.

“I'll be right back.” She promised, before she turned away and headed in the other direction.

As she stood in front of the mirrors again, she couldn't help but smile at her reflection. Her eyes were a little glassy from the alcohol, but her face and chest were glowing in anticipation of how this night might end. She suddenly felt giddy and excited - and if she's being honest, a little horny. She finished up quickly, desperate to get back to Stiles and his mouth. She pushed through the heavy door with a skip in her step. She had barely made it five metres, when she felt someone grab her hand and pull her into the shadows.

She didn't get a chance to scream or see who the perpetrator was. She stiffened at first, before she felt familiar arms wrap around her body, then she melted against him. Her breath caught in her throat at the feel of him holding her tight. And rather than wonder why he was pulling her into a dark corner, she couldn't help but think how perfectly they fit together. Her head tucked under his chin, her petite body encompassed by his larger one. His arms felt so good around her. When he had pressed his lips to her ear to be sure she heard him, she shivered.

“Sorry, but it seems me being married, even if it is pretend, isn't enough to keep the wolves at bay.” He whispered.

Her body tremble, when his hand moved further up her stomach, and she allowed herself a moment to enjoy his touch. The curve of her bum fit perfectly against the long hard length of him, and her breasts were now straining against the fabric of her dress, her nipples pebbling at the feel of his hand sitting just below her rib cage. A fire so deep and hot inside of her, was fighting to come to the surface. She wanted him so much, there was no way to hide it anymore, and from the feel of him she guessed he wanted her too. She turned in his arms.

“Stiles?” Her voice was small and desperate, as she looked up into his whiskey eyes.

Without another thought or worry, he closed the small distance between their faces, and claimed her mouth with his. He moved his hand up to cup the back her head, and her lips parted for him. She was lost, drowning in the taste of him, a mixture of beer and champagne. His tongue teased the seam of her mouth, urging her to let him have more of her, to taste more of her. She let him in, and never has Lydia felt so explicitly good from a kiss before. He moved his lips away from her mouth, and Lydia let out a small noise of disappointment.

He smiled against her skin as he moved his mouth to her neck. He kissed behind her ear and his hands had found their way to her ass. Her own hands were gripping on to his forearms, anything to hold her up. She trembled a little, when his kisses covered her jaw, but she didn’t pull away, tipping her head instead to offer him her neck again. He kissed and nibbled his way down her throat and her legs began to wobble. Neither of them seemed in a hurry to move, despite the fact they were in a public place.

She was kissing Stiles Stilinski, and she was beginning to wonder why she had waited so long to let him kiss her. His firm hand held her head while his mouth skimmed along her neck, up to that spot behind her ear, and then eventually back to her lips. Her hands slid up to grip his biceps, as their tongues duelled together. He was pressed against her, and he was hot, hard, and undeniably just as turned on as she was. She wanted more of him, so she pulled away just far enough to look into his eyes.

“Lets get out of here.” She suggested, and his face lit up with excitement.

**_Fuck he knew he should stop. They'd both had plenty to drink, but he couldn't hide how much he wanted her anymore. She practically sat in his lap the whole ride back to the apartment. He walked her backwards to the door, and they fell over the threshold a tangled mess of limbs, their mouths fused together. And when she broke the kiss, and started to unzip her dress, slipping the thin straps down her arms, Stiles was afraid he might pass out._ **

**_“Jesus.” He gulped, as she shimmied the dress down her body._ **

~


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I apologise profusely for the delay in this chapter, but I was in struggle town with my mojo. Not to mention the fact that I’ve rewritten it about ten times, because I just wanted it to be good. I promise no more long delays.
> 
> So Lydia and Stiles can no longer fight the attraction to each other.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> PS: Also big thanks to everyone who is reading, commenting and hitting that kudos button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Lydia woke to sun streaming in from her window. She stretched her arms above her head, and kicked the covers off her body. She sat up slowly, and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, and felt the slight ache at the base of her neck, as a result of the alcohol last night. And just as she was about to stand up, everything from last night came flooding back, and a hot sensation of embarrassment ran over her body, as she remembers what had happened - or more accurately what didn't happen - with Stiles.

She knows in hindsight that he was right, they were both drunk, and he was the voice of reason. She falls back onto her bed as she remembers his words, after she had shimmied out of her dress.

_“Jesus Lydia, you have no idea how badly I want you.” He started gently, as he held her hand. “But we've both been drinking, and I don't know about you, but I don't want either of us regretting anything.”_

Then he had leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to her lips, and Lydia remembers it being like heaven. Then he had picked up her dress from the floor, took her hand again, and led her to her bedroom. She doesn't recall much after that, other than Stiles pulling back the covers on her bed, and basically tucking her in. She covered her face with her hands, as she thought about how the hell she was going to face him today? They’re meant to have a meeting with Lindsey Gordon today, to try and find out who he actually is.

Today they are reporters, ‘interviewing’ him for a spread in a popular magazine. Of course it’s all a cover. She’s not sure how Danny managed to get them fake id’s and credentials in such a short amount of time. He’s a magician in Lydia’s eyes. Its the perfect way for them to find out more personal information, and maybe finally find out why he was having Lydia followed. She’s a little nervous about coming face to face with the man. She’s not sure she’s prepared for what the outcome may be.

Her phone beeps from beside her with an incoming text message, bringing her out of her thoughts. She swipes it from the bedside table, and a defeated sigh leaves her lips when she reads the words.

**_Unknown number (8.12am)_  
Ms Graham, I’m sorry but Mr Gordon is a little under the weather today and won’t be coming into the office. He asked if the interview could be rescheduled for Thursday at 10.30am. He apologises for any inconvenience and hopes to see you then. Please reply with your answer ASAP.  
Regards  
Susan Castor (Personal Assistant)**

“Shit.” She grumbles, as she quickly typed out her reply.

She threw her phone onto the bed next to her, and once again covered her face with her hands. She has to wait three more days before she can get any answers. Three days of just her and Stiles, together alone. Not that it’s any different from the last two and half days, but now they have what happened last night between them. Deciding that she couldn’t put off seeing him any longer, she grabbed clean clothes, her toiletries and made her way to her door of the bathroom. With her head down she pulled open the door and started to step inside.

She pulls up short when she lifts her head. There’s steam permeating the room, music coming from somewhere on the vanity, and a decent view of Stiles’ naked ass, as water from the shower head beats down on his body. She stands there wide eyed, and her mouth gaping open, and completely unable to get her legs to work. She still hasn’t moved when he turns off the tap, her eyes roaming every inch that she can see through the glass door. She hasn’t even noticed he’s turned, until he practically screeches her name.

“Lydia!”

She drops her toiletries, just as he reaches for a towel to cover himself.

“Shit, sorry.” She apologises, squeezing her wide eyes shut. “I’ll just....shit.”

Then finally her legs remember how to work and she leans down and grabs her toiletries bag, turns quickly and pulls the door closed. She leans heavily against it, scolding herself under her breath. _Great!_ If the situation between them wasn’t already fucked up enough, now she’s gone and got caught checking him out naked. She snips the lock on her side of the door, and drags herself back to her bed. Maybe she can just stay hidden under the covers all day, maybe for the rest of the week.

Ten minutes later, there’s a soft knock at her bedroom door, followed by her name. She pulls the covers further up her body, and tries to ignore the pleading tone in his voice. However he is persistent, and after another couple of knocks, and a few mumbled words that she can’t make out, she throws back the cover and climbs out of her bed. She pats down her hair and takes a quick peek at her attire. She was still in her pajama’s. Oh well, she thinks, she’s just seen him naked, she’s pretty sure her short pj’s were the last of her worries.

She slowly pads to the door, trying to get her breathing under control. She hesitates once her hand is on the handle, takes one last deep breath and pulls the door open. She resists looking up for all of about five seconds, before he pushes through the door, takes her face in his hands, looks for any sign of doubt in her eyes, and then he’s kissing her frantically. She doesn’t react straight away, she’s so shocked by his actions. Then she relaxes into it, grabbing the front of his t-shirt, as his hands moved to her hips.

He moves her backward, towards the bed, then lays her down. There was no hesitation, no decision to be made, no slowing down. Stiles’ body hovered over hers and his mouth consumed her. She couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped, as his mouth moved harder against hers. She arched into him, bringing her breasts in contact with his chest through the thin material of her top. When he rolled over her softly, Lydia had to break the kiss to get oxygen back into her lungs.

“Stiles.” She breathed, pushing on his chest a little, as he tried to chase her lips.

His eyes opened suddenly and a worried look took over his face.

“Shit Lydia I’m sorry, it’s just....crap....” He began nervously. “I’ve wanted you for so long, and I got a little ahead of myself.”

She immediately bought her hands to his cheeks, caressing her thumb along his high cheek bone, then she was the one to pull him back down to her lips.

**_He nearly died of a heart attack, when he turned around in the shower to find her staring at him - all of him. He quickly reached for the towel, and when he looked back she was gone. He quickly moved to his room, dried off properly and got changed. He stood in front of the mirror, that sat above a chest of drawers, deciding in that moment that he was done with denying his feelings._ **

**_“C’mon Stiles, you can do this.”_ **

~

Lydia stretched and moved slightly in her warm bed, only to be met with a solid body behind her, and an arm thrown over her hip. She paused suddenly, before a smile found its way to her lips as she remembered the feel of Stiles’ hands all over her body. Months of pent up tension resolved with wandering hands and frantic mouths. She had come alive under his touch, and questioned why she hadn’t taken a leap of faith with him before. Why had she denied herself of his kisses, his hands, his body, all this time?

_After she had assured him that she was done waiting too, her fingers tugged at his hair, as his mouth mapped a trail down her neck. His long body fit perfectly against hers, and she loved the feel of his weight on top of her. She ran one hand down his chest, and when his face came back to look at her, she smiled at him before he was devouring her mouth again, his tongue pushing through the seam of her lips. One of his hands cupped her face, while the other ran small circles over the skin just above the waistband of her shorts._

_As the kiss intensified, he got bolder and moved his hand up along her toned stomach, iliciting a loud groan from her. Her nipples hardened and a pulse shot through her core, as his hand came to a stop just under her breast. He broke the kiss and she let out a sound of disappointment. When her eyes fluttered open, she was met with his that had turned to a dark chocolate colour. They were full of desire, heat and questioning. Lydia gave a nod of her head, and his fingers caressed the underside of her breast, before he took it completely in his hand._

_His mouth came back to hers, as he massaged her breast gently. He didn’t waste too much time before his hand moved to her other breast, and he was just as gentle and cautious with that one as well. But Lydia didn’t want careful, her body was screaming for him to touch her everywhere. So she pushed her ass up a little, just enough so hopefully he got the message that she wanted more. He certainly got the message alright, as he pushed against her harder, his arousal causing her to smile against his lips._

_Knowing he wanted her as much as what she wanted him, she moved her hips up and then down, creating the friction she desperately needed. They moaned into each other’s mouths, her hands, gripping his neck tight, as their breathing became more laboured. The want getting hotter and harder to resist. He removed his hand from under her top, and bought it up to caress her cheek, before breaking the kiss again. He pushed up on his elbows after breaking the kiss, and stared deeply into her soul._

_“So beautiful.” He whispered, as he pushed a stray lock of hair from her face._

_He continued to stare at her as his hand ghosted down her arm. He placed soft pecks to her lips, as his hand continued to move down her side, causing her skin to tingle. He kissed her hard again just as his hand came to a stop on her hip. He moved off her slightly, but only far enough so he could run small circles across her hip bone, while still kissing her. When his fingers teased the edge of the waistband of her shorts, she almost flew off the bed. Her chest was heaving, while one hand fisted the sheet below her in anticipation._

_“Is this okay?” He murmured against her cheek._

_“More than okay.” She managed to say, his fingers now moving up the leg of her shorts._

_Her eyes were closed, her back arching a little off the bed, as he continued to tease her with featherlight touches. But when one long finger slipped under the edge of her underwear, her hips thrusted up, she threw her head back, and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth._

_“Oh god.” She mewled._

_And that was all the encouragement he had needed, to swipe his finger through her obvious arousal. She was wet, hot and undeniably turned on. His thumb hit her clit, and electricity teemed through her, causing her nipples to pebble. She was so lost in the feel of his fingers, that she hadn’t noticed that he was hovering over her again. She didn’t dare open her eyes, instead she threw her free hand over her face and enjoyed the feel of his lips, as they kissed their way down her body. When she finally found the courage to look, he was devouring her with his eyes._

_He lifted her top and kissed under her belly button, just as he finally pushed a finger inside. A string of swear words left her mouth, as she was now writhing underneath him. Her hands went to his hair, she pulled at it, as her hips rolled up to meet his thrusts. She wasn’t going to last long. She had been dreaming about this moment for a long time now. He curled his finger inside her, hitting the spot that had her screaming his name to the ceiling. He didn’t stop when he made his way up her body, and by the time his lips found hers again, she was pulsing around his finger._

Lydia can feel herself getting aroused again at the memory. She squeezes her thighs together to fight it off. They didn’t have sex. They hadn’t really even taken their clothes off, if you don’t include Lydia’s pajama shorts, and Stiles jeans and shirt. Instead they spent their time exploring each other’s bodies. They had drifted off to sleep after Stiles had coaxed another orgasm out of her. Her eyes drift to the clock on the bedside table. They had slept for two hours. Well Stiles was still asleep. Lydia went to move again, and stilled when she felt him hard behind her.

A wicked smile made its way to her lips, as an idea formed in her mind. She pushed herself back against him, as if she was still asleep and just shifting to get comfortable. She grabbed the hand that was resting on her hip, and interlocked it with her own, letting them come to rest across her stomach. Then she deliberately snuggled her ass against his groin, and moved their joined hands up to just under her breasts. That’s when she felt him stirring. He pulled her closer and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“You keep doing that and this will be over before it begins.” He said softly, his breath tickling her ear.

Lydia felt the heat take over her body, as he started to first kiss her neck, then trailing down to the bare skin of her shoulder, where her shirt had slipped off. She lost all train of thought when he started to rock gently against her from behind. He untwined his hand from hers, and moved it down to just below her navel, pulling her tight against him. Lydia’s breathing started to become uneven, as he continued to move slowly behind her. She couldn’t take it anymore. She knew what she wanted when she started this little game. Now she plans on finishing it.

She turns in his arms so that they were chest to chest, only separated by her thin pajama top. She craned her neck slightly and joined their lips together. His hand went to her hair to hold her close, as her tongue slipped through his lips. She hooked one leg over his thigh, and growled at the feel of him between her legs. _Finally_. She slowed the kiss down and whispered against his lips.

“I want you. So bad.”

He smiled in reply and moved them so Lydia was flat on her back, and his long body - that she had been fatasising over, was looming over her. He kissed her again, but only briefly before his lips found her neck and his hands found their way under her top. With his fingers skimming over her skin, his mouth hot on her neck, and the feel of him rolling over her with just his boxer briefs on, Lydia was about to explode. He sat up on his haunches and played with the end of her shirt. She sat up a little so he could remove it from her.

He leans down and starts a trail of kisses from her navel all the way up to her rib cage, before he teased a nipple with his tongue. Her hands flew to his hair again, and she tugged on the strands aching for him to take her fully in his mouth. Then he bit down softly on her nipple and fireworks exploded behind her eyelids. He was rock hard above her, she could tell every time he moved over her, but the friction wasn’t enough. She pulled his head away from her breast, and brought his eyes up level with her own.

“Enough foreplay. I want you, now.”

So after they both removed what was left of their clothing - clothing being their underwear, Lydia reached down the side of her bed to find her toiletries bag. He watch curiously as she rifled through the bag, and cried in triumph when she found what she was looking for. She held the foil square between them, and he replied with a smirk.

“You came prepared.” He teased, reaching to take the condom from her.

She snatched it away.

“Let me.” He nodded.

She ripped the condom open, as she watch his adam’s apple bob in his throat. She was frantic rolling it on, because she was so eager to finally feel him inside of her. Once she had finished the task, he leaned down and kissed her intensely, as he guided himself to where she was aching for him most. And when he finally pushed through, a wisp of air left her mouth and his head collapsed onto her shoulder. Her legs fell apart a little, as she got used to him filling her up. When he finally started to move, Lydia dug her fingernails into his back, and met him thrust for thrust.

**_He couldn’t believe he was finally inside of her, and it was more incredible than he had ever dreamed it would be. She was tight, wet and fucking amazing. He moved slowly, before they finally found a rhythm. He switched between kissing her mouth and teasing her breasts, as their breathing became erratic. He knew when she was about to come, because her walls tightened around him, and then he felt his dick pulse with his own impending orgasm._ **

**_“Shit Lydia, I’m going to come.” He moaned. She fell first, and he came quickly after._ **

~


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve updated, especially after I said it wouldn’t be too long between updates again. I had no motivation whatsoever to write for at least three weeks. Then it wasn’t until the last week of my holiday I’ve just got back from, that I found my mojo again. So I apologise for the delay.
> 
> So there’s only 4 more chapters after this one. I do have a couple of other Stydia stories I’m working on, so I might try and get them finished. Then I think I will be taking a break from writing for a while. Sorry for the lengthy A/N.
> 
> Lydia and Stiles finally meet Lindsay Gordon.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

Today was the day. The day that Lydia finally got the answers to the questions, that bought her to Sydney in the first place. The last couple of days, her and Stiles had been living in their own little bubble. Lindsey Gordon a distant memory. But today they meet the man in person, and Lydia is somewhat nervous. She woke up half an hour ago, and hasn’t been able to move the entire time. Whether or not it’s from the nerves coursing through her body, or the fact that she doesn’t really want to leave Stiles’ arms, she’s unsure.

A stupid smile takes over he face, as she thinks about the last couple of days, completely wrapped up in the beautiful man sleeping next to her. She turned slowly in his arms, so as to not wake him. The sun has barely risen yet, and they still have a few hours before they have to be at the offices of Mr Gordon. She lets her eyes roam over his face, taking in the sharp angle of the cheekbone she is privy to. She follows it down to the slope of his nose, coming to a stop at his mouth, where his lips are slightly parted.

She brings her free hand between them, and feathers her fingers down his chest. It’s this action that has his eyes slowly opening. She watches as his eyelids flutter apart, his eyelashes giving way to whiskey orbs that Lydia could get lost in forever. When he sees her watching him, small crinkles form at the corners, and his lips quirk up on one side with a smirk.

“Hi.” He whispers, his voice still laced with sleep.

“Hi.” She replied, as he pushed himself up onto one elbow.

“You’re awake early.” He stated, his fingers pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m a little nervous I guess, about today.”

“It’s gonna be fine, I promise.” He reassured her, placing a kiss to her forehead. “Are you hungry? Maybe some food willl help with the nerves.”

“Not really.”

He smiled at her and then fell back against the bed. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, her head resting on his chest. She closed her eyes, and then started to ghost her fingers over his chest again, running them through the patch of dark hair that sits between his pecs. As her hand moved further down his stomach, a smile took over her face again, as she thought about how they haven’t left the apartment for three days. Most of that time was spent right here in this bed.

But then her brow furrows a little and her hand stops just above where the sheet starts. What happens now? She hasn’t ever been in a real relationship before. Does she want to be in a relationship? Does he?

“Stiles?”

“Mmm?” He mumbles against her hair.

Deciding that she didn’t need all the answers right now, she buried her head further against his chest.

“I think I’m ready for some food now.”

So they slowly untangled themselves, but not before sharing a blistering kiss. Stiles left the bed first, giving Lydia the most amazing view of his ass. He padded into their joint bathroom, and Lydia stretched her arms above her head, before throwing the sheets off her body. She grabbed a discarded shirt and threw it on, and made her way to the kitchen. She turned the kettle on and pulled two cups from the cupboard. She went about making coffee, while she assumed Stiles was taking a shower.

It wasn’t long after that she felt his hands grab her hips. She jumped a little at the welcomed intrusion, before leaning back against him. She let her head loll to the side, as his lips found their way to her neck, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. One hand moved to cover her stomach, and she is having a hard time finishing off making the coffee. Eventually she gave up and turned in his arms, their foreheads meeting before he leaned down to kiss her firmly. As he didn’t seem to care that she hadn’t brushed her teeth, she deepened the kiss by leaning further up into him.

He pushed her against the kitchen counter, entrapping her with his arms, their mouths never leaving each other’s. When he reached down to lift her up under her ass, he moaned into her mouth at the feel of her naked backside. Effortlessly he lifted her onto the counter, and stepped into the space her legs made as they fell apart slightly. Her shirt had risen up, and Stiles took this as his cue to bring his fingers down between them. She bit down on his bottom lip when he swiped one finger over her centre.

He is just about to push his finger inside her, when the kettle bellows from next to them, causing Lydia to squeal a little against his mouth.

“Damn, never thought I’d be cockblocked by a kettle.” He teased, moving away from her slightly so she could stand back on the ground.

Lydia didn’t have a rebuttal, instead she chuckled and pushed against his chest.

“We don’t really have time for that anyway.” She finally said, finishing off the coffee

He lifted one eyebrow in question, as she handed him his straight black coffee. She pointed to the clock on the oven. His eyes went wide when he saw the time.

“Right interview. Food first though. Why don’t we get dressed and head down to the cafe across the street from his building?” He suggested.

An hour later and Lydia was back in her dark wig, with a vintage style halter dress on. In her hand bag was a tape recorder, and a pad and pencil. Stiles had donned his fake glasses and checkered shirt, with his camera bag thrown over his shoulder. Hand in hand they left the apartment. Hand in hand they walked to the car. They ate a breakfast of eggs and bacon, as they went over the plan one last time. And when they couldn’t put it off any longer, they made their way towards Gordon Industries.

“You ready?” He leaned in and whispered against her ear.

“As I’ll ever be.”

**_He was disappointed that they had a schedule today. After walking into the kitchen to see her standing in nothing but a shirt, his dick twitched, and his mouth went dry. She was right though, they didn’t have time for anything, not even a quickie. Now they sat in soft leather chairs, as they wait to go inside to meet the man who could quite possibly be Lydia’s father. Just as he reaches for her hand, they’re being called into his office._ **

**_“This is it?” He said gently, squeezing her hand. She just nodded in reply._ **

~

He was a lot shorter in real life. Another attribute that hinted at them being related. Lydia watched as the short man sat in his big office chair, behind an even bigger table, while he finished up on the phone with someone. She had to bite her lip to stop the chuckle that threatened to spill out, at the image she had running behind her eyes. In a lot of ways he reminded her of Dr Evil from Austin Powers. She must’ve made some sort of noise though, because Stiles looked at her with curious eyes. She just shook her head at him and cleared her throat.

Finally Mr Gordon said his goodbye and placed his mobile phone on the table. He leant back against his big chair, placed his hands in his lap, and eyed the young couple in front of him. Lydia didn’t break eye contact with the man, despite her stomach tumbling with nerves. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she didn’t once back down. Mr Gordon’s eyes flitted between Lydia and Stiles, obviously trying to unnerve the two of them. To Stiles’ credit he too didn’t back down under the cold green stare of the man opposite them.

“Well, sorry to keep you both waiting.” He announced, pushing himself up out of his chair and moving around to the other side of the table. “Lindsay Gordon.”

He offered his hand to Lydia first and then to Stiles.

“My name is Nicole Jackson, and this is my husband and cameraman, Sam.” Lydia introduced them both.

“Well it’s nice to meet you both. I will admit I’m on a bit of a tight schedule, so how about we get started.”

“Of course. We just need a couple of photos and then for you to answer a few generic questions.” She explained.

Stiles went about shooting a few pictures of the man, behind his desk, standing against the large window that overlooked the bay, and then of him sitting on the leather couch. Once Stiles announced he had enough shots, it was Lydia’s turn to play her role. She started off with basic questions. How did you get into the business? What kind of hours did it require to become a millionaire? How he met his wife? And she let him gush about his daughters, all the while he had no idea that Lydia and Stiles had already met his family.

“Okay Mr Gordon, just a couple more questions and then we’re done.”

The small man nodded his head, and Lydia tried to reel in her nerves. It was time for her to get down to the real reason she had traveled to Sydney. It was time for her to get the answers she has been waiting for all week.

“So I did a little research, like any good reporter would, and I read that you are one of three brothers and one sister.” She started, again Mr Gordon nodded. “I’m sorry if this is a little personal, but are you and your siblings close? Did any of them go on to be successful like you?”

“Well sort off. My sister is married and lives a quiet life up in North Queensland. Only one of my brothers is still alive, and he lives in Singapore. My other brother, Peter, lost a battle with cancer just over twelve months ago.”

Lydia shares a look with Stiles, because it was only a few months before that Mr Gordon had Stiles start following Lydia.

“Oh I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to bring up unhappy memories. Did he have any family?”

“Not officially - no, that’s probably the wrong way to say it - Peter was the youngest, and a bit of a wild child, he may or may not have fathered a child back in his party days.” The tone of his voice softened a little. “Please don’t print that. I may not be proud of the way he lived his life, but I loved him dearly and whether or not he did, I certainly don’t need any crazy women coming out of the woodwork claiming that they’re the mother of his child.”

So this man sitting across from Lydia was her uncle. With her heart lodged in her throat, she somehow managed to promise Lindsay Gordon, that she would keep that piece of information between the three of them. Now was the hard part. Now she had to reveal herself to this man, who as it turns out, is quite sweet and caring, and maybe getting to know him won’t be as bad as she first thought. He obviously wanted to know her, or else he wouldn’t have had Stiles follow her for however many months.

“Mr Gordon I need to ask you something.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Lydia looked at Stiles for encouragement, and he didn’t disappoint. He took a hold of her hand, and gave her a short nod of his head.

“Back in March of last year, did you hire a private investigator to follow a young woman called Lydia Martin?”

His eyes went wide at the same time his brow creased.

“How....How do you know about that?” He asked looking between the two of them.

Lydia took a deep breath and stood up, Stiles followed suit. She grabbed the edge of her dark wig and pulled it off slowly, just as Stiles removed his glasses. She shook out her natural strawberry blonde hair, and then with her stomach full of butterflies, she looked up slowly at the man and sent him a small smile. His eyes couldn’t get any wider if they tried. His mouth hung open, and Lydia noticed a small bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. Lindsey Gordon didn’t move, as his eyes once again moved between the two young people.

“Mr Gordon, I’m Lydia Martin, and this is the investigator you hired to follow me, Stiles Stilinski.” She ripped it off like a band aid.

A pregnant pause fell over the large room, as Lydia let the news of her identity sink in. Stiles again came close to her side, and took her hand in his. Her pulse was pounding in her ears, and she was certain she could also feel Stiles’ pulse thumping, just from the grip he had on her hand.

“How did this happen? How did you find me?” He questioned, his voice laced with disbelief, before switching his gaze towards Stiles. “I specifically deleted anyway that you could get in contact with me.”

“It’s not his fault Mr Gordon. I have a friend who is very good with computer stuff. I was the one who tracked you down.”

“Yes but you had to get the information from somewhere though didn’t you? How the hell did you two meet anyway.” His gaze still fixed on Stiles.

“Ah....that’s a long story sir, perhaps one for another day.”

“Look, I’m sorry we deceived you, but I had to be sure. Plus to be honest with you, before I met Stiles, I had absolutely no interest in meeting my biological family.”

This seemed to pique Lindsey’s attention.

“Honestly up until twenty minutes ago when you told me about my father, my sole intention was to come here and to tell you to stay away from me.” She stated. “But I don’t know, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to get to know my family.”

“How do you know for sure that Peter was you’re father? He died before I could find out for sure.”

Lydia set him with a pointed look. He can’t be serious. Mr Gordon may not be her father, but he can’t deny the family resemblance.

“I’m sorry, but all this is just a bit too much to take in.” Mr Gordon says. “I only had you followed because I knew my brother was dying, and I had hoped maybe finding his child would help him die a little less painfully. You weren’t the only one I was looking at. There’s not enough proof to suggest you are his daughter.”

“Then we do a DNA test.” Stiles suggests, looking at Lydia, who quite frankly couldn’t believe this guy was denying that they were related.

“I’m not sure I’m prepared to do that, only to find out that Miss Martin here isn’t related to us in anyway.”

“Are you serious?” Stiles growls as he plants his hands on the table, with enough force to make the table shake.

“You pay me a shit load of money to follow Lydia around for over six months. I send you pictures and details that I found out over that time.” He continues, his voice getting louder with each word. “You can’t honestly sit there and tell us that you don’t think Lydia is related to you in anyway. She has your eyes, she has your hair colour for crying out loud. What would it hurt to do a little blood test to find out the truth?”

Lydia finally finds her voice, and places her hand on his back to try and calm him down.

“Stiles, it’s okay.” She says with a pleading tone. “We’re sorry we wasted your time Mr Gordon.”

Stiles looks at her incredulously, as Lydia grabs a pen out of the square holder on the desk. She quickly scribbles down her phone number and places it front of the man.

“But just in case you change your mind, here’s my phone number.” Lydia says calmly. “C’mon Stiles lets go.”

Lydia gathered up her things, and gestured for Stiles to do the same. She says goodby to Mr Gordon, and takes Stiles’ hand to lead him out of the office. He tugs on her hand though, causing her to come to a stop just before they reach the door. She turns to look at him, only to find that he has let go of her hand and walked the short distance back to the desk. It’s like slow motion, as she watches him throw his finger in the direction of Lindsey Gordon. The man at least has the decency to look a little afraid.

“You know what? You don’t deserve to have her in your life. She is a much better person than you’ll ever be.”

And with that, he turns and moves back towards Lydia, grabbing her hand along the way, leaving Mr Lindsey Gordon sat in his chair, with his mouth hanging wide opened.

**_He held on firmly to Lydia’s hand, as they made their way out of the building. It wasn’t until they reached the hire car - and Stiles went to open Lydia’s door for her - that he noticed she had tears falling down her cheeks. She had been so strong and confident inside, that he hadn’t thought about how hard the rejection would be. He quickly pulled her into his arms, running his hand up and down her back._ **

**_“I’m sorry Lydia.” He said into her hair, as her tears stained his shirt._ **

~


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to update, I’ve had a pretty horrendous month and a half. So I had absolutely no inclination to write.
> 
> Anyway on with the story.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

They’d been back in Melbourne for three weeks, and although Lydia had been determined to not let the outcome of her Sydney visit disarm her, she had been in a funk for most of those three weeks. She hadn’t really made any time for Stiles either, and that was weighing heavily on her mind. They’ve occasionally texted and spoken on the phone, but Bill had put her straight back to work, and she had been on the case twenty four - seven. She missed him terribly, and with the mood she has been in lately, she wouldn’t say no to one of his hugs.

Or a kiss or two, or the feel of his body against hers. She sighed heavily, as she watched the house across the road through her binoculars. Bill and her friends had been very understanding of her behaviour, after she told them what had happened in Sydney. It’s probably why Bill put her straight back to work, to take her mind off everything. It hadn’t really worked, because she hasn’t really been able to focus on this case properly, and that also weighed heavily on her mind. She was a professional, she needed to get out of this funk. This was a really big job.

Just as movement on the front porch caught her eye, her phone rang from beside her. She blindly reached for her iPhone, as she continued to watch the scene in front of her. Answering the phone without actually looking at the screen, she was momentarily excited when Stiles’ voice came over the speaker.

“Hey.” His soft gentle tone soothing her her.

“Hi.” She answered back excitedly.

“I know I’m not meant to call you while you’re on the job, but was wondering if you had a spare couple of hours tomorrow?”

Her insides started to do somersaults, and her heart thumped behind her rib cage. It would be the first significant amount of time they had spent together in three weeks. Maybe she could get Danny or one of the other PI’s to cover her for the weekend. Surely Bill won’t mind. That thought left her mind though, just as quickly as it had entered. This was a big case, and she didn’t want to let Bill down. She watched intently, her teeth worrying her bottom lip, contemplating Stiles’ offer, just as her subject and his companion moved inside.

“I don’t know Stiles. This is a really big case. Look I have to go. I have to work.” She answers defeated.

“Lydia, this is not healthy.” He begins. “I’m worried. You need a break.”

Silence spread between them. Lydia could hear the worry in his voice. She knew that he was right, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to say yes to him. She needed to keep herself busy. Needed to keep her mind off of everything that happened in Sydney, because if she stopped, she was worried that her walls would come crumbling down. With her phone still near her ear, she grabbed her camera with her other hand. She tried to focus on the subject across the road, but she could feel the tears slipping down her cheeks, causing her vision to blur.

“Look Stiles, I won’t be on this case for much longer. Maybe then we can catch up?”

“Lydia....”

“I have to go. I’ll call you soon. Bye.” Then she ended the call, without giving him another chance to reply.

She threw her phone down next to her, wiped at the tears that were in her eyes, and tried to concentrate on the job at hand. However her subject and his companion had moved inside, leaving Lydia with nothing to do but sit and be with her own thoughts. Why was she keeping Stiles at arms length? Was it more than just her worried about him seeing her weak and vulnerable? It had to be, because he saw her at her lowest in Sydney. So what was she so afraid of? And the answer hit her like a tonne of bricks.

Is she really afraid of committing to Stiles? Is that why she has buried herself in her work for the last three weeks? And the answer is yes, because other than her adoptive parents, no one has stayed in her life. She was abandoned by her mother. Her real father is dead, and one of her only living biological relatives wants nothing to do with her. That’s why she’s not letting herself get too close to Stiles. Because she is afraid he will abandon her too. Logically she knows that he won’t, but she is too scared to admit that to herself. God her brain hurt. Not to mention her heart.

An hour later, after taking a shower, and having something to eat, with a glass of wine in one hand, and her phone in the other, she was debating calling Stiles back. She did a bit of soul searching while she was in the shower. She misses him terribly, and despite the fact that she is scared shitless about how much she cares about him, she wants him none the less. And as much as she tries to deny it, she really does believe that there could be a future with him. That’s probably what scares her the most, what would her life be without him in it?

She took a sip of her wine, bought up his contact number, and let her thumb hover the call button. She took a deep breath, released it slowly, and decided it was time for her to not be afraid anymore. She needed to tell him how she felt. Because whether she liked or not - which if she’s being honest she does - she has fallen for the boy with the messy hair, whiskey eyes and mischievous smile? With her mind made up, she eagerly hit the call button. However just as she heard his voice come over the other side, a loud bang echoes through the air.

She just manages to say his name, before everything went black. It’s not until hours later when she wakes up in the hospital, that she finds out she has been shot.

**_He could feel his cheeks stretching in a smile, as her name lit up on the caller ID. He was glad she was calling him back. He had been upset that she had fobbed him off again. He had missed her these past three weeks. Hearing her voice over the phone, just isn’t the same as holding her in his arms. Just as he says hi, a loud noise pierces his ear. She says his name softly before there is silence on the other end, and a terrible dread settled in his stomach._ **

**_“Lydia!”_ **

~

Searing pain, and a monotonous beep was what woke her up. Her eyelids flutter open slowly, her vision blurred as she tries to take in her surroundings. Once her eyes come into focus, she realises she’s in a hospital bed. She tries to move, but her shoulder screams out in protest, causing her to hiss loudly. She moves her head to the side, and looks down at the mass of bandages that cover her right shoulder. Fuck! What happened. She closes her eyes again to try and think of the last thing she remembered. She was talking to Stiles, then she heard a bang, then....nothing.

With her left hand she locates the buzzer for the nurse. She pushes it determinedly, only stopping when a brunette nurse rushes into her room.

“Ms Martin, you’re awake. Let me check you over.” She turns towards the drip. “I’m Melissa by the way. How are you feeling?”

“Sore, but wait.” Lydia pleads. The nurse turns back around. “What happened to me? Why am I here?”

With a look of pity, the nurse walks back to her.

“You don’t remember?” Lydia shakes her head. “Miss Martin, you were shot....in the shoulder.”

She gestures towards Lydia’s shoulder with a nod of her head. Lydia felt her eyes go wide at the nurses words. Shot? What? How? Who?

“Shot? How long have I been here?” She asks, as the nurse messes with her pain relief.

“The ambulance bought you in at about ten last night....then you were rushed into surgery to remove the bullet and repair the damage. It’s now nearly five thirty.”

“But who found me? Nobody knew where I was except my boss. And how would he have known what happened”

“I’m not sure. But Stiles did ride in the ambulance with you.” She started, then noticed the confusion on Lydia’s face. “Dark hair, tall, very handsome and a bit cheeky.“

“You know him?” Lydia asked.

“Sure do. He’s my sons best friend.” Melissa answered with a smile.

“You’re Scott’s Mum?” The nurse nodded.

“He’s been here the whole time. I think he went to go find a vending machine. Do you want me to go get him?”

Lydia just nodded in reply, a soft smile on her lips at the thought of Stiles being there for her. Melissa nodded curtly and then went to go find Stiles. Now that the morphine was kicking in, Lydia was able to move to a sitting position. Using her good arm, she tried to comb her hair with her fingers. With a huff, she decided it was useless without a brush. So instead she pulled the hospital sheet off of her, and straightened out her god awful hospital gown. She was just reaching to grab her phone off the bedside table, when Stiles pushed through the door.

The relief on his face was insurmountable. He made it to her in just a few steps, and then he was leaning down to wrap her up in a hug, leaving soft kisses all over her forehead. When she winced as he came into contact with her shoulder, he quickly let go.

“Sorry, shit. How are you feeling?” He asked, as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’ve felt better. What happened?”

He took her hand and squeezed it tight.

“You had just rung me and then I heard a noise, then next thing I knew you weren’t answering me. I called and called your name, and I just knew something was wrong.”

“Stiles.” She said softly.

“So I rang your boss and explained everything I heard over the phone, and demanded he tell me where you were.” He answered hastily. “God, Lydia when I saw you lying on that floor, blood everywhere, I....I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

Her heart tugged at the sincerity in his voice.

“Bill arrived about ten minutes after I did, and just before the ambulance arrived. We were so scared.” He squeezed her hand tighter. “Then the cops arrived. Bill stayed with them while I came with you in the ambulance.”

“Come here.” She said gently, tugging on his hand.

When his face was close enough, she could see they were damp with tears. She leaned up gingerly and joined their lips in a soft kiss.

“I’m sorry I scared you.” She whispered against his mouth. “I’m sorry for everything.”

He pulled back slightly and stared deep into her eyes, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“For avoiding you, for not making time for you since we’ve been back.” She explained.

“Lydia, you don’t have to apologise for that.”

Then he leaned back down and kissed her gain, this time with a bit more ferocity. Just as his tongue teased the seam of her mouth, there was a knock on the door. They had barely moved apart, when Georgina and Bill rushed into the room, Allison not far behind them. Stiles stood to let them get to Lydia. Georgina was crying as she pulled Lydia against her in a tight embrace. Bill couldn’t apologise enough for putting her in danger, and Ally was....well Ally was Ally. She listened to the noise around her, but Lydia couldn’t take her eyes off Stiles. She desperately wanted to talk to him alone.

“Guys. I’m going to be okay.”

“Yes she is.” Said an unfamiliar voice.

Everyone turned to who they assumed was the doctor. Allison held firmly onto her good hand, while everyone else made room for the doctor to reach Lydia.

“Hi Lydia. I’m Doctor Alan Deaton, I am your surgeon. How are you feeling?” He said softly.

“I wish everyone would stop asking me that.” She said through a strained smile. “I’m okay, a bit sore, but the morphine is working.”

“Good, good. Um I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to ask everyone to leave the room for a bit, while I check her over.” He stated turning to face everyone.

Everyone nodded, then made their way out of the door. Stiles lingered though, worry etched all over his face.

“It’s okay Stiles. I’m fine.” She said trying to reassure him.

“I’ll be ten minutes tops Stiles.” Dr Deaton added.

Finally he turned and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him.

“Does everyone here know Stiles?” She teased.

“Hard not to when he has spent just as much time here as I have.”

Lydia looked at him curiously.

“Let’s just say, Stiles used to be quite the clumsy kid.”

The pair shared a chuckle.

“I’m just going to unwrap the bandages, and make sure there’s no infection.”

True to his word, he wasn’t much more than ten minutes checking her over. All the while he informed her of the extent of the damage, and what had to be done to repair it. Lucky for her the bullet didn’t do too much damage.

“You were very lucky. It missed all major arteries, and the procedure was basically just to get the bullet out, and then stitch you up.” He explained. “No broken bones.”

“Well that’s good. So when can I go home?”

“Not for a few days, and even then you’ll have to take it easy for at least six weeks. Then you may need physical therapy.”

“But what about work?” Dr Deaton shook his head. “No working? But I have this big job I’m on.”

“Sorry Lydia, complete bed rest. No work until I’ve completely cleared you.” He said quite sternly, as he rebandaged her shoulder. “I’ll have Melissa come in and help you shower when you’re ready.”

Then he turned and left, leaving Lydia sitting there teary eyed and sobbing. She didn’t even know she had been crying. She didn’t get too long to think about it though, as Stiles and Allison pushed their way back into the room. They sat either side of her on the bed, fussing over her like two mother hens. They told her that Bill and Georgina left. The police needed to talk to Bill again, and Georgina was going to pick up Prada. She went on to tell them both - through more tears mind you - what the doctor had told her. She rolled her eyes, when they both agreed with the doctor.

“Traitors.” She grumbled.

**_Stiles sat in the chair next to Lydia’s bed, chewing on his fingernails as she slept. Allison left a couple of hours ago, and Melissa had come and helped Lydia shower. She passed out once her morphine was given, and Stiles hasn’t moved since. He sighed heavily, when he thought about how close he came to losing her. He made a vow then and there to protect her for as long as she would let him, because he realised a long time ago, that he had fallen for the beautiful strawberry blonde._ **

**_“I love you Lydia.” He whispered into the silent room, just as sleep over took him._ **

~


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well I did it. I finally found my mojo again. Thank you everyone for being so patient. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to give this chapter to you. I hope it makes up for my self imposed exile. I’ve deleted the page I posted earlier in the year explaining my predicament, so that means there’s still two chapters left.
> 
> You’re all the best.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

It’s been five weeks since Lydia was shot, and the police are no closer to finding out who did it. Well that’s not entirely true. They have a suspect, just no proof. Five weeks, she’s basically spent cooped up in her apartment, with only Netflix, and her pain meds.....oh and Stiles to keep her company. Not that the Stiles part bothered her, except the fact that he was treating her like an invalid. He practically moved in when the doctor finally let Lydia go home. And as wonderful as it has been to have him here, she’s starting to go stir crazy, and if he asks her one more time if she needs any help, she’s going to scream.

Right now she has a bit of reprieve as he had to go back to work. He like her, was a private investigator, and a freelance one, so he couldn’t take anymore time off. She is enjoying the peace and quiet, and Prada’s company for the moment. Allison is due over in a bit to take her to her physical therapy session, so to kill the time Lydia is re-reading War and Peace. Just as she’s getting to the good bit, her phone buzzes from beside her on the couch. She sighs as she places her book mark between the pages, and grabs her phone. By the time she gets to it, the buzzing has stopped and she immediately recognises the number.

Her eyebrows raise a little, as she stares at the screen, her finger hovering over the missed call. However before she gets a chance to call back her uncle, there’s a pounding on the door, and Prada’s instant barking.

“Prada!” She yells, as she gets up of the couch to answer the door. “Settle girl.”

She pulls open the door to find Allison smiling on the other side.

“Ready?” She queries as she makes her way into the hallway.

“Hi Ally, just let me get my bag.”

Ten minutes into their drive, Lydia told Ally about her missed phone call.

“Maybe he heard what happened and wants to finally admit that you’re family.” Ally suggests, her eyes firmly on the road.

“Hmm, maybe. I’m just not sure if I want to feel that hurt all over again. And I certainly know that Stiles will be none too happy about it.”

Ally just nodded in agreement. It took twenty minutes to get to the PT centre. Ally dropped Lydia off and said something about going to the shops next door. Lydia spent the next hour doing her exercises, being assisted by her physiotherapist - Sean. Her shoulder was feeling good and strong, to the point where she could almost hold the weights up for longer than the required time. Encouraged by this fact, she decided to ask Sean the big important question. When can she go back to work? He looked up from his notes that he was scribbling and smiled.

“You’re doing great Lydia. I think maybe another week or two and you should have full movement back.”

Her heart crushed. Two weeks? He saw the disappointment on her face.

“It’s better if we give it as long as possible to heal. If you do anything too strenuous before then, then you’re at risk of hurting it again and the recovery time will be longer again.” He explained. “But keep doing the exercises I’ve given you, gradually increase the weights and you will be back to normal in no time.”

This did nothing to reassure her. She was itching to get back to work. Itching to get out of her apartment, where all she does is lay on the couch and read all day. But she knew he was right, and just nodded her head at his explanation. After an hour she returns to the waiting room to wait for Ally. As she is having her turn at Words with Friends against Isaac, that number comes up again. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, debating whether or not to answer. But she takes too long, and her screen goes back to the game, and Ally walks through the front doors.

She sits there for a while, contemplating what she should do when Ally snaps her fingers in front of her face.  
Lydia turns her attention to her best friend.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. He rang again.” She announces as she gets up from her chair. “I don’t know what to do.”

Ally looks at her softly.

“Call him back. He obviously wants to talk.”

All Lydia can do is nod. The drive back to her apartment, Allison is nattering on about something, while Lydia weighs up her options. The outcome, she will talk to Stiles first and see what he thinks. She’s pretty sure he is going to be angry that Lindsey Gordon is trying to reach her after the way he dismissed them in Sydney. So with her mind made up, she kissed Ally on the cheek and said thank you and goodbye, before climbing out of her car and making her way to her front door. She pulled up Stiles’ number before pushing her key into the lock. He answered almost straight away.

“Hey you. How did therapy go?”

“It was okay. I still have a couple of weeks before I can go back to work.”

She heard him sigh on the other end. If he had his way she wouldn’t ever go back, at least not to private investigator work. She shrugged it off and continued.

“Anyway, the reason I’m calling. I need your opinion on something.”

“What’s up?”

“So I’ve had two missed calls from....” she inhaled and exhaled slowly before going on. “From Lindsey Gordon.”

She waited a beat, waited for a response from Stiles. All she heard was a soft ‘shit’ and she could literally feel the resentment pouring off him over the phone.

“I gather from your response you’re not happy.” She said her voice a bit smaller than normal.

“Not really, but if you’re asking me whether or not you should call him back....that’s not my decision to make Lyds.” He tells her and she can’t help the smile that makes its way to her face. “Just be careful, and don’t let him treat you like shit again.”

“Yes sir.” She replied, almost laughing as she mocked saluted him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For letting me make my own mind up.” She answered, before pulling that lip between her teeth again. “Will I see you tonight?”

She knew this case was important, and required him to be on hand 24/7, but she wanted to see him. Needed to have his arms around her. Needed his reassuring words if things go south with the phone call. She wanted his lips and body against hers. A craving for him took her over, as she destroyed her bottom lip thinking about it. She had only seen him last night, but it had felt like a lifetime since he kissed her, touched her. She didn’t realise she was holding her breath until he answered. And he seemed to understand her needs all too well.

“Yes.” His voice a little hoarse, before he cleared it. “Do you want me to pick up food on the way?”

Clearing her muddled brain, she replied with a simple yes.

“Good luck with the phone call Lyds. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks. See you soon.” She echoed.

There was a beat of silence that seemed to go on forever, as if they were both waiting for the other to say something....important. But it seems neither of them had the courage to say anything, and soon the line went dead. Lydia exhaled loudly, before scrolling through her missed calls. Her finger hovered over Lindsey’s number, then with a quiet determination she pressed return call.

**_If he was being honest with himself, he was down right cowardly. He hadn’t been able to utter those words again since the hospital. Fearful, he now realises that she may not feel the same. He sighed heavily to himself, as he ended their call and turned back to his work. Four hours and he will hold her tight and maybe, just maybe he will whisper those words again, despite the fear that coils in him. It was time to stop being a coward._ **

**_“Damn it.” He muttered to himself._ **

~

Lydia poured herself a second glass of wine, as she contemplated the phone call that she had just had. Ally was right, he had heard about her accident - god knows how - and told her that he was worried. And Lydia genuinely believed him. He apologised for the way he behaved, and blamed it all on the fact that he was worried about his reputation if word got out that his brother had an illegitimate child. Lydia had scoffed, and was about to hang up on him, when he said he was coming to Melbourne in a few days, and was hoping they might meet again. Start over.

She had agreed, but on her terms. Now she was nibbling the rim of her glass, as she worried about how Stiles was going to react. She’s not sure when she starting worrying about what Stiles thought about anything, but she does know for certain, that if Stiles has a problem with this meeting than she will more than likely cancel. Because his opinion does matter, and in no way does she want to put any walls up between them. Because she has fallen madly in love with the tall, messy haired boy that used to spy on her. Not that she has told him that yet, fear rippling through her that he won’t return her feelings. Maybe tonight she will find the courage.

Lost in thought as to how she was going to tell him the news, Prada started yapping near the front door. She shook her head, knowing it was probably Stiles arriving. Sure enough just as she placed her wine glass on the kitchen bench there came a knock on her door. She smirked and shook her head as she padded through her apartment to greet him. By the time she gets there, Prada is going around in circles with expectation. She adores Stiles, and from her antics Lydia is more certain than ever that her boy friend has indeed arrived. She picked her up of the ground and opened the door with her other hand.

He’s dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, his hair sticking up at different angles, and his arms laden with take out food. Lydia smiles at him before placing Prada back down and taking some of the food out of his hands.

“I don’t know why you bother knocking, you have a key.” She teases as she starts back towards the living room.

“Well hello to you too, and excuse me but my hands were full.” He teased right back.

They placed the chinese food on the coffee table, and Lydia had barely turned around when Stiles was on her. He took her face into his large hands, as he placed a firm kiss to her lips. She managed to keep her feet by clinging to his shirt, as his tongue swept over her lips and begged for entry. She obliged, and as his hands moved to her hips, hers went to his face to deepen the kiss. He moved them backwards towards the couch, and when Lydia felt her knees knock against the edge, she hesitantly broke the kiss, her hands moving to his solid shoulders.

“The food will get cold.” She whispered.

He claimed her lips again before lowering her to the couch, not even breaking the kiss to reply.

“Don’t care.” He attacked her lips hungrily, his hands moving to her hair as he hovered over her.

She had no problem responding to his kisses and roaming hands, but the couch will not do. He’s too long for it. So she pushes against his chest, growling as his teeth catch on her bottom lip. She winces a little at the pressure against her shoulder, but she pushes through, as she finally gets him off her and she stands. He looks up at her with hooded eyes, and Lydia just holds out her hand for him to take. Which he does, and then she leads him to the bedroom, where everything slows down. She turns and faces him, removes her hand from his and starts undoing the buttons of her top.

Lydia can count on one hand how many times they’ve had sex again since Sydney. Of course her accident prevented her from anything too strenuous, but right now in this moment, she needs him. Needs him to devour her, needs him to love her. She shrugs her top off, watching Stiles’ eyes follow her every movement. Everything has always been so rushed before, but he closed the mere inches slowly, his own shirt finding its way to the floor. It was her turn to rake over his torso with her eyes. Her tongue peeking out to swipe over her bottom lip as he closed the distance more.

When he was mere centimetres away, she grabbed his belt loops and pulled him to her. She couldn’t wait anymore. Then it was on for the young and old. Hands and mouths fought for dominance as they rid each other of their remaining clothes, only leaving them in their underwear. Lydia was the one to push him down onto the bed, as the fire between them was becoming almost impossible to douse. She straddles his lap, then leans down and kisses him hard. And the feel of his lips on hers felt like heaven. He coaxes her lips open with his tongue and then they taste each other.

Their tongues met assuredly and then she bites down on his lip hungrily. His hand on her cheek moves to the back of her neck and he pulls her further into him, as he takes control of the kiss. His lips move against hers in an furious battle for more. He can have more. He can have whatever he wants. Her hands move over his body. Her hands touching and squeezing the strong, lean muscles in his arms, before trailing over his shoulders and down his defined abs. Her fingers toy with the band of his undies, and he growls into her mouth before releasing her from the kiss.

Later that night as they lay in Lydia’s bed, with her head resting on his chest and his fingers playing with her hair, Lydia inhaled softly before bringing up the elephant in the room.

“So - “ She starts pushing herself up using Stiles’ chest. “I spoke to Lindsey.”

She pulled on her top lip with her teeth, trying to gage his reaction. However the satiated smile that rested on his lips disappeared, and his brow creased a little. Before her courage left her she continued.

“He and his family will be in Melbourne next week and he wanted to catch up. Start again.”

Still Stiles lay there silent.

“But if you don’t think I should, then I won’t.” She added nervously. “Stiles - say something please.”

Not letting go of her, he sat himself up against the bed head. He pulled her closer to him, and placed a kiss to her messy hair. She waited with bated breath for him to utter any words at all. Then finally....

“Lydia, this is your decision. I can’t make your mind up for you.” He said quietly.

“But you’re not happy about it?” She queried.

“No - I’m not happy that he’s contacted you after what he did to you in Sydney, but he’s your family - whether he wants to admit that or not, and I won’t be the reason for any regrets you might have later.”

She moved to straddle him, then placed a soft kiss to his lips, before whispering against them.

“Will you come with me?” She asked hopefully, as she rolled over him teasingly.

“Yes.” His voice low and greedy, his hands finding purchase on her bare hips.

Lydia’s head lolled backwards as his fingers feathered up her sides. Then with his lips of the column of her neck she found her voice again.

“Why are you so understanding. I know how he makes your skin boil?” Her hands using his shoulders to hold her up, as his mouth found its way to her breast.

He stopped short of of encasing it fully, looking up at her with hooded eyes and a smirk on his face.

“Don’t you know by now?” Was his answer.

She shook her head gently, suddenly nervous, but excited as well to hear his explanation.

“I would go to the ends of the earth for you.” He whispered against her skin.

She cupped his face and lifted it up and set him with a pleading look. That smirk found it’s way back to his lips, and he closed the distance between their mouths, kissing her hard, so hard - the breath she didn’t know she was holding escaped.

“I love you Lydia Martin.”

**_There, he had said the words that had his heart hurting at times. Now as he watches her eyes go wide, he’s suddenly eager for her to say something back, even if it isn’t the words he wants to hear. Instead though when she comes out of her daze, she assaults his mouth hungrily. He could’ve sworn he felt tears spilling down her cheeks. Then as she separated their lips, placing a soft kiss to his nose, she rested her forehead against his._ **

**_“I love you too Stiles Stilinski.”_ **

~


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well it’s seems I have my desire to write again.
> 
> Thanks everyone for hitting that kudos button and for all your comments.
> 
> One chapter left after this.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> PS: I can’t italicise or bold Stiles POV so I’ve used the curvy dashes at the start and end of his part and an extra line space.

The news came to her six months after she was shot. The police finally had enough evidence to charge their suspect with conspiracy to murder and arrest his minion for the actual shooting. She’s not sure how he had even managed to find her considering he was already in prison. But she shouldn’t really have been surprised that a guy like Jackson Whittemore would still have the resources. So his already ten year sentence will more than likely push out to twenty years and his accomplice - well let’s just say he is lucky she survived otherwise he would be probably get life.

By this stage Lydia had been back at work for three months and her and Stiles’ relationship had grown stronger by the minute. He did what he promised and held her hand through the whole meeting with Lindsey and his family. She was very proud of him for not losing his temper at any stage during that lunch date. And after that meeting Lydia now has a somewhat pseudo family. She’s not sure she will ever be super close to the Gordon’s, but it’s nice to know that she has any family at all.

Lydia met Stiles’ dad two months after the meeting with the Gordon’s. She was in awe the whole night at the closeness of them both. And Mr Stilinski was quite possibly one of the nicest people she has ever met. She may have shed a tear or two later on that night when they were laying with Lydia’s head on Stiles’ chest and his arm wrapped around her body tight, while she thought about how close she was to her own parents, and how she was never going to have that ever again. Stiles kissed the top of her head and made promises of devotion until she fell asleep.

Right now they sit at their favourite whole in the wall pub, with all their friends as they listen to Lynx playing. She has her head resting on his shoulder, as his hand runs small circles over hip, while he engages in conversation with Kira, Isaac and Danny. She shifts her head a little to take in the group at the table. Allison and Scott clicked immediately and Lydia has to bury her head into Stiles’ chest as she watches the two of them try and flirt without trying to flirt. Derek and his sister Cora seem to be arguing again, over what? Who knows. Then there’s Malia, Stiles’ partner in crime.

It took Lydia a little time to warm to Malia, because it took her so long to get the images out of her head of her and Stiles, from when she saw them in the window all those months ago in Brisbane. But when she finally did, she realised that Malia will be a good friend, because she is fiercely loyal and won’t take anyone’s crap. At some point Isaac and Cora get up to get more drinks, it’s then that Stiles’ hand moves further up her body coming to rest just under breast, and Lydia has to squeeze her legs together to fight off the heat that’s burning at her core.

Hers and Stiles’ sex life is ridiculous. He somehow manages to surprise her every single time they get into bed. He makes her body sing and those fingers....wow, just wow. And it doesn’t take much for Stiles to get her worked up. Sometimes all it takes is a kiss to the shell of her ear and she’s climbing him like a tree. She smiles as she remembers fondly how he made her come not once, but three times in about fifteen minutes just last night. Fuck, she squeezes her thighs together tighter and shifts a little in her seat. He notices to because he turns his head towards her.

“You okay?” He whispers over the din of the band.

“Yep.” She answers her breath catching a little.

His eyes narrow slightly, but all she can manage is a small smile. Then he places a soft kiss to her lips before shrugging his shoulders slightly and turning back to the group. They stay at the pub until closing time, then they’re all saying goodnight before they drift off in different directions. Lydia and Stiles end up back at Stiles’ place. As soon as they were over the threshold he unceremoniously pushes her against the door after closing it. His lips hot and determined as he kisses her all over, his hands roaming over her body.

It doesn’t take long before Lydia is begging him for more, and they leave a trail of clothes in their wake. He surges in, grabbing the back of her neck, and pulling her mouth towards his. Her body melts against his, her hands grabbing onto his hips. Stiles sucks on her lower lip, and let’s his teeth graze across it - not so bad that it hurts, but Lydia can’t stop the growl that leaves her mouth. She pulls him impossibly closer and Stiles rubs his hands down her back. She presses her breasts against his chest and he buries his face in her neck.

“Stiles.” She hums, as his lips start to attack her neck.

They only make it as far as his couch, both to impatient to be together. He somehow manages to move the couple of scatter pillows he has on the couch, and lowers her down gently.

"Please, I can’t wait anymore." She states her voice laced with arousal.

He leans over her and trails his fingers down her tingling skin, from her cheek down her throat, ghosting over her breast. She arches up into him a little as he feathers over her stomach before his hand manoeuvres her out of her underwear. And she nearly flies off the bed when his long, elegant fingers swipe over her dripping wet core.

 

~~~ He leaves a trail of kisses across her hips as his fingers move up and down, exploring. She shivers and moans, but when her fingers dig into the cushions and her back arches, he knows he has found the right spot. He pushes two fingers inside her and massages her clit with his thumb. And the noises that leave her mouth have Stiles removing his fingers and crawling back up her body. He kisses her hard as he enters her slowly. They both gasp.

"So fucking incredible" He says. ~~~

~

She sits amongst her friends, a beer bottle in her hand as she listens to them titter around her. It’s Christmas Eve and for once she hasn’t used her parents as an excuse to bury herself in her work. When Stiles came to her three weeks ago and told her that Derek and Cora were holding a party at their warehouse apartment, Lydia stilled. Stiles knows why she doesn’t do Christmas well, but he held her in his arms as tears threatened to spill, and said over and over again that they don’t have to go, they could spend it by themselves.

“Whatever you want to do Lydia.” He says softly.

She inhaled sharply to fight the tears and then pulled away a little to look up into his beautiful face. The sincerity, love and adoration she saw in his whiskey eyes, was enough for her to drag herself out of the hole she always normally fell into at this time of year. She had leaned up on her tip toes and placed a soft kiss to his lips. Then she wrapped her arms around his body and told him that they should go, because with Stiles’ arms around her and his love and devotion of her seeping into her bones, she’s not so scared of Christmas this year.

Tomorrow she is spending the morning with Stiles and then they’re heading over to his dads place for lunch, and an excitement courses through her to be a part of that with them. She doesn’t think they will ever understand how grateful she is for including her. Add to the fact that it’s hers and Stiles’ first Christmas together as a couple, Lydia doesn’t think that life gets much better at the moment. The Gordon’s had invited her to Sydney for Christmas, but she’s not sure she’s ready to spend that sort of time with them.

Stiles comes over to her side takes her hand in his. She squeezes it gently to let him know that she is doing fine. In fact she’s doing really well and it surprises her a little that she has let so many years pass without celebrating with her friends. Friends, that now include so many more people than she had in her life only two years ago. She’s happy that her friends and Stiles’ friends seem to be able to come together as one group. And she now classes his friends as some of her closest ones. She lets her eyes wander over the room at the somewhat motley crew.

Somewhere between September and now, Allison and Scott had become a couple, and didn’t Lydia give her shit about that. Now it looks like Isaac and Danny may very well be heading in that direction too. Lydia smiles as she watches Isaac nervously hand Danny another drink. He must really like Danny, because she has never seen him so hell bent on making so much of an effort with anyone else. He catches her eye just as it makes another sweep over the room. He juts his head in the direction of the balcony off to the right. Lydia replies simply with a small nod of her head.

She lets go of Stiles’ hand and he turns to face her with a quizzical look on his face.

“Isaac needs me.” She tells him a small smirk playing on her lips.

His head moves to where Isaac is disappearing through the doors. He looks down at Lydia again and she’s the one to lean up and leave a lingering kiss to his lips.

“Don’t go anywhere.” She teases. He chuckles.

Isaac is leaning against the railing with his elbows, looking out over the Melbourne skyline, a cigarette in his hand. He doesn’t hear her approach, so when she says hi, he jumps a little. She scowls seeing the smoke in his hand.

“Hey.” He answers before turning around so his back is now leaning against the wrought iron.

Lydia comes to stand next to him, rips the cigarette out from between his fingers, stamps it out with her foot before throwing it over the railing.

“Seriously, I would very much like my best friend to live out his life to the fullest. They will kill you one day.” Her tone a little annoyed. “Besides Danny isn’t going to want to be kissing an ashtray.”

His eyes go comically wide, and Lydia has to try really hard not to laugh. She nudges him with her shoulder, and he smiles down at her.

“So you really like him huh?” She questions.

“Is it that obvious?” Lydia nods her head. “Shit Lyds I’m scared. No guy has made me feel like he does.”

Lydia takes his hand, squeezes it tight and leans up to place a kiss on his cheek.

“I don’t know why you’re so scared.” She tells him softly. “If it helps, I think he feels the same.”

Again his eyes go wide.

“You really think so?”

“Yes I do, now man up and go do something about it.” She scolds teasingly.

He salutes her, before kissing her cheek and heading back inside, leaving Lydia standing out in the humid summer night. She turns to look over the balcony at the city she loves so much. A gentle breeze whips past her and she closes her eyes to let it soak into her skin. And just when she starts to think about what happened four years ago, big hands wrap around from behind her and lock together just under her breasts. Like he knew that she was just about to head down to a dark place. She leans against him, eyes still closed as he leaves a kiss on top of her head.

They stand there silently, as they both revel in the relief the breeze is bringing. And as fast as the memory of her parents slipped into her mind, it went. The feel of Stiles’ arms around her, cacooning her, keeping her safe, driving the images straight out of her head. She turns in his arms and looks up into his eyes. She smiles as she places one hand on his face, thinking about how this man has turned her life upside down, but in a good way. He fills a hole in her heart, a hole she never thought would ever be replaced.

“Merry Christmas Stiles.” She whispers, before she brings his lips down to meet hers.

 

~~~ He wonders if she is thinking about her parents. He silently walks over and wraps his arms around her, she stiffens slightly before leaning against him. He hates to think that she is in any pain, emotionally or physically, so he places a kiss against her hair and hopes that his arms are enough to comfort her. After a while she turns to him and smiles up at him, before wishing him a Merry Christmas. Then she kisses him hard, and he knows everything will be okay.

“Merry Christmas.” He replies softly against her lips. ~~~

~


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is where the story ends. Thank you to everyone who has stayed with it, especially with all the shit I had going on in my life earlier in the year. This has been a long journey. I posted the first chapter of this story back in July 2017. Now over a year later - the longest it’s ever taken me to write something - it’s over. 
> 
> This final chapter is monster in size and is a little heartbreaking to start with, but then it has a fairytale end.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> PS. I almost have 2 chapters of two new Stydia stories ready to go. I will be posting them simultaneously. Can’t wait to share them with you all.
> 
> Again the editing won’t let me italicise Stiles’ part so I have started and ended it with curly dashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

She started to suspect there was a problem about a month ago. They’ve been together four years now, and not once has Lydia ever felt like Stiles eyes have ever wandered. She knows she has never let her eyes drift from the beautiful man she fell in love with. But now as she watches him and the blonde through her long lens camera, her heart is starting to break. When did it go wrong? If he was unhappy, why didn’t he just say something? Tonight she decided she wanted answers, and now she wishes she had just stayed at home and gone on as nothing was wrong.

When his excuses for being home late started to get thin, Lydia began doubting the strength of their relationship. She can feel the tears starting to prickle behind her eyes and her vision starts to get blurry as she watches them laugh together. She pulls the camera away and swipes violently at the tears. Her breathing starts to get erratic, as again she wonders how it all seemed to fall apart so suddenly. She sank back into the bench she was sitting on, and let her mind drift to the last four years, desperately clinging to anything that might be able to save them.

He still worshipped her, the same way she did him. He told her everyday how much he loved her. He still managed to surprise her with his ability to know when she needed him the most. And their sex life was beyond amazing. Did she take it all for granted? Did she not show him the same attention as he showed her? Had he finally given up and decided to find happiness somewhere else? Well, that seems the most likely scenario considering she just caught him, red handed spending time and having a drink with another woman.

After running all kinds of scenarios in her head, she finally positioned the camera back out the window to where they were sitting. To Lydia’s surprise the blonde wasn’t there anymore, and Stiles was talking to someone on his phone. She watched as he paid the bill, and pushed away from the bar. She continued to watch as he made his way to where his car was parked, and a sadness filled her heart again knowing he was probably on his way home to her to pretend like nothing is wrong. She quickly dismantled her camera and raced to her own car.

She sat there for a while taking in long deep breaths. It wasn’t working. She felt like she was only seconds away from completely falling apart. She finally started the car and began the fifteen minute drive back to their apartment. All the while her heart and mind were arguing over what she should do about the situation. Does she confront him, and call him out? Or does she wait until he decides he’s completely had enough and tells her it’s over? She’s no closer to a solution when she pulls into the apartment car park.

She noticed that Stiles’ jeep wasn’t in the bay next hers, which makes no sense because he should be back already. On automatic she gets out of her car, and makes her way to the foyer. She barely acknowledges the guy at the front desk, instead she solemnly makes her way towards the elevator. Once at her level she leaves the steel trap and walks the hallway to their door. It’s Prada’s excited yapping that brings her back to reality, and as soon as she unlocks the door, she is nipping at Lydia’s feet. Her forlorn mood carries her through the living room and into the bedroom.

With her mind still reeling she undresses down to her underwear and heads into the ensuite. She turns the shower on and removes her knickers and bra. She can’t control the tears once she’s under the hot spray of the shower head. The water can only cover her tears though, it does nothing to drown out the sobs that rack her chest as she realises that she is losing the man she loves. The man that has always been a constant for the last four years. The man she was suppose to have a future with. She slides down the tiled shower wall and wraps her arms around her knees.

It’s not until the water starts to cool, and she’s cried a bucket load of tears that she pulls herself up again. She has just turned the water off when she hears Prada yapping again. He’s back.

“Hi honey. I’m home.” Stiles announces cheerfully.

She quickly wraps a towel around her body, and ties her still wet hair up in a messy bun before quietly padding back into their bedroom. She still hasn’t answered him as she grabs her silky pajama’s off the end of the bed and makes her way into the walk-in-closet to get dressed.

“Lydia?” He calls again, his voice getting closer.

She’s just shrugged the top on over her shoulders when she feels him behind her. With shaky hands she tries to do the buttons up.

“Hey.” He says more softly as he wraps one arm around her waist.

She can’t control the hitch of her breath at the feel of his hand against her still naked stomach. Then his mouth is kissing the column of her neck.

“Hi.” She answers, trying to hide the tremor in her voice.

He gently turns her around and she takes an inordinate amount of time to look up at his face. Just as her chin starts to rise, he takes her face in his hands and then he’s kissing her. It takes her longer than usual to react, but she does, and she kisses him back, knowing that this could quite possibly be their last kiss, because while she was crying on the floor of the shower she came to a decision. However that all fades into the background, when his hand pushes open the silk of her top and takes her breast in his hand.

“Stiles.” She whispers against his mouth.

He doesn’t answer, instead his hands slip beneath the waistband of her shorts, and he pulls her closer to him.

“Stiles, we need to stop.” She announces as his mouth suckles on her neck.

He looks back at her with confusion in his eyes. He must sense that something isn’t right.

“What’s wrong?” He asks searching her eyes. “Are you mad at me because I’m late again? I’m sorry.”

Lydia shakes her head no as she moves out of his hold, and does up the buttons of her top. She pushes past him and sits down on the edge of the bed. With her fingers fidgeting in her lap, and her teeth biting down on her lower one, she draws in a deep breath, just as he sits down next to her.

“Lydia honey? What is it? You’re kind of scaring me here.” He untangles her fingers and covers her hand with his.

Her skin prickles as it always does when Stiles’ is touching her. But she draws in another breath and then turns to look at his worried face.

“When did you stop loving me?”

His eyes go wide, and his mouth is agape.

“W...what? Why would you think that?” Terror in his voice.

Lydia shrugs her shoulders and then looks away, too afraid to bring up what she knew.

“Lydia? You can’t seriously believe that?”

She feels the tear slip down her cheek and tries to stop the sob from leaving her mouth, but she is unsuccessful and then because she can’t help herself she’s blurting out everything.

“So again, when did you stop loving me?” She asks through sobbing hiccups.

And because Stiles is Stiles, he just wraps his arms around her and pulls her as close to him as she can.

“Well?” She nudges again.

“Lydia honey - “ He starts. “I’m not sure what I ever did to make you believe I don’t love you anymore, but you can be rest assured that that is so far from the truth.”

He takes her shoulders and brings his face down level with hers. She knows she wears a confused expression, but he kisses the tip of her nose.

“You....You’re not cheating on me?”

“What! Woah, woah, slow down. Are you serious right now?” Again she shrugs her shoulders.

“I saw you, you know.” Now it’s Stiles turn to look confused. “Tonight at the bar.”

Understanding takes over his face, and to Lydia’s annoyance he smirks. She feels her eyes narrowing.

“Well? Who is she?”

“Look, yes I have been meeting with someone. She’s helping me with a project.” She feels her anger start to rise. “But can you trust in me enough to believe me when I say, that I am in no way cheating on you.”

“Then why can’t you tell me everything? Why can’t you just be honest with me?” She folds her arms in front her chest.

He blows out a frustrated breath, causing his hair to stick up on his forehead.

“Honestly, all will be revealed soon. Can you please just trust me.” He begs. “I love you Lydia Martin. Forever.”

Her body starts to relax and soften at his words. She knows he’s telling the truth, she can read it in his eyes. How could she have ever thought that this wonderful, beautiful man would hurt her?

“Hang on. You saw us tonight?” He questions, as a mishevious smirk takes over his face. “Were you spying on me Miss Martin.”

She can’t hide the blush of embarrassment that takes over her face.

“I’m sorry....for everything....I just....with the late nights and the excuses and then seeing you with her tonight....” He kisses her forehead and her eyes close as she enjoys the sensation. “I’m sorry.”

She doesn’t give him a chance to reply, as she grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him close to her. Her gaze shifts quickly between his eyes and his lips. Then she crushes their lips together hard, determined and demanding. Then before she knew what was happening, they were both naked on top of the bed covers, with Lydia straddling his hips and Stiles’ fingers digging into the flesh above her hip bone. She kissed him again hard, as she lowered herself onto him and all her worries disappeared as they made love into the early morning hours.

~~He gently plays with her hair as she sleeps soundly against his chest. He can’t believe he made her think he was cheating on her. He can see where she might get that impression, but surely he’s proven to her how much he is in love with her. He is definitely not interested in anyone but her. His meeting tonight, and for the last month have all been to organise a surprise for her 30th birthday in a couple of weeks, not because he doesn’t love her anymore.

“I love you always Lydia.” He whispered into the darkened room.~~

~

Stiles tugged her along behind him, but she had no idea where they were headed as her eyes were covered with a blindfold. She had completely forgotten about her birthday coming up until he said he was taking her out. He took her to the most expensive restaurant and wined and dined her with five star service. He held her hand practically the whole time they were there, except when they were eating. Then after he paid the bill, and they waited outside for an uber, he gently placed the blind fold over her eyes.

She was completely disorientated the whole time in the car, and questioned him the whole way to their destination. He wasn’t giving in though. He stayed tight lipped and then helped her out of the car. Now he was ushering her into an elevator and stood silent with his hand still squeezing hers. She felt the lift come to a stop and then he was tugging on her hand again. She hears a door click, and then she feels Stiles’ fingers gingerly taking off the blindfold. But it’s still dark, she can’t see a thing. Suddenly the lights are flicked on —

“Surprise!”

Her eyes finally come into focus, and when she sees all her friends standing around Derek’s apartment, all with smiles on their faces, she has to try not to cry. Stiles arms wrap around her middle and she holds on tight to his hands as his words wash across her ear.

“Happy Birthday Lydia.” Then he kisses her cheek.

She turned in his arms to look into his eyes.

“You did this? For me?”

He nods his head, but doesnt get to reply because Lydia leans up on her toes and kisses him desperately. She’s fully aware that they have an audience, but she doesn’t care. Slowly and hesitantly she pulls away from his lips.

“Surprise.” He says softly, before everyone else comes up to Lydia to wish her a happy birthday.

They don’t really get a moment alone after that for a long time. Instead with champagne and beer in their hands they mingle with the crowd. Everyone she loves is here and that includes the Gordon’s. Over the last four years she has slowly let them into her life and she has reached a point where she can honestly say that she is happy that she did. She is quite close to her cousins, which every now and then makes her laugh, when she thinks about the first time she actually met them at the gala all those years ago.

She can’t believe that Stiles managed to pull this off without her knowing. Then it hits her like a brick. Why he had been coming home late, and why he had been meeting with a woman that wasn’t her. She excused herself from Bill and Georgina and scoured the crowd for his familiar mop of hair. She’s sees him on the edge of the makeshift dance floor talking to Isaac and Danny. She heads in that direction, stopping every now and then to say hello to someone else, but she never takes her eyes off him.

She comes up behind him and places her hand softly on his back. He turns at the sensation and Lydia smiles at the look on his face. She joins their hands together and pulls him onto the dance floor. He doesn’t argue, just diligently follows. Ironically as soon as they have each other’s arms wrapped around the other, the song changes from a boppy dance song to the same song that they first danced to. She lets her head sit on his shoulder and they move in time with the music. They’re silent for a while before Lydia removes her head from his shoulder and looks into his eyes.

“This is the reason you have been getting home late yes? And the reason you were meeting with that woman?”

He plasters on that smile that she loves so much before answering her.

“Yes.” He replies simply. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I should be apologising for being the jealous girlfriend.” She can feel the blush on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

Then her head is back on his shoulder and no more words are said. They dance to the whole song, his hands sitting at the small of her back, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. With her head resting against his chest now, she listens to the rhythm of his heart. It’s steady and strong, just like him. Again she wonders how she could’ve ever believed that he was cheating on her. She surmises it just came to down to complete and utter fear that the last four years had been too good to be true. That the other shoe had to drop at some point.

But of course she was wrong. Which is something she’s not used to being. She should’ve known from the start, right back when he traveled to Sydney with her to confront her uncle, that he was in it for the long haul. She’s so lost in thought that she doesn’t realise the song has finished and that Stiles is moving them off the dance floor. But he doesn’t guide them over to their friends, instead he moves past the crowd and into the seperate kitchen. She’s confused until he gently lifts her up onto the bench and positions himself between her legs.

Then he’s kissing her hard and furiously, as if his whole life depended on this one kiss. His hands sit on top of her thighs, scrunching up the fabric of her cocktail dress. His mouth move to graze the slope of her neck, kissing softly up to her jaw line. She closed her eyes and pulled him impossibly closer. He then took her earlobe between his lips as his hand worked up higher on her thigh, his other hand coming to up to cup her face. He bought his lips back up to her mouth and splayed his hand over her back to hold her in place.

Her hands ran up to his shoulders and down his back and their chests pushed together. He slid one hand down her side and his fingertips grazed the swell of her breast. Her nipples ached against the pressure of her bra and dress and begged for release—begged to be touched. The heat coiling between her legs threatened to drive her insane. Then suddenly she remembered where they were — and that they weren’t alone. She broke her lips away from his and whispered into his ear breathlessly.

“Stiles. The others will be wondering where we are.” Looking at him with disappointment in her eyes.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” He answered smirking.

He placed a chaste kiss to her lips that had her chasing his mouth for more, but he has moved from in between her legs and is helping her down off the bench. They both straighten out their clothes, and Lydia excuses herself to the bathroom so she can fix her face.

“Don’t take too long. I have another surprise for you.” He throws over his shoulder, as he walks back to their friends.

She stands there for a minute, her mouth agape and her mind reeling at his words. She shakes her head subconsciously then quickly heads towards the bathroom. Once there, she holds on to the vanity for a bit, simply to hold up her wobbly legs. She takes in a few deep breaths before finally taking in her reflection in the mirror. She smiles at the girl staring back at her. Her face is flushed, her lips are swollen, and his hands in her hair have pulled some strands out of the braid crown she meticulously plaited earlier in the evening.

She quickly fixes up her appearance, again she takes in a few deep breaths before standing tall and making her way back out to the party. She’s not sure how successful she was at making herself look decent, because when she steps into the large open area, Kira, Ally and Isaac are all sending her knowing looks. She feels her face get hot with embarrassment, when she realises that they probably have a fair idea of what she has been up to. However she straightened up her spine, walks past them without a word to mingle with the crowd.

Close to eleven pm and the music has been turned down and Stiles is trying to get everyone’s attention. His eyes land on Lydia and offers her his hand. She moves from her spot and joins him in the middle of the dance floor.

“All right everyone, so we all know why we’re here. To celebrate this wonderful ladies birthday.”

There’s a round of applause that makes Lydia blush. Then she notices Scott pushing in a small table with an incredible cake sitting atop it. Her eyes go wide and her hand covers her mouth to stop the gasp.

“So before we get to the obligatory birthday things like cake and singing. A few of you have some things you want to say.” Stiles tells them all. “Ally, Isaac, Kira, Bill?”

The four of them walk up to the pair and each of them wrap Lydia up in a tight hug. She’s very close to crying, she’s so overcome with emotion. Ally starts off the speeches, then the other three take their turn. Their words fill her with a sense of love and friendship and by the time Bill has his say, Lydia is definite she is going to cry. But Stiles doesn’t give her a chance, as he leads them all in a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to you’ and then he lights the candle and is telling her to make a wish. So with her tears barely at bay, she makes her wish and blows out the solitary candle.

She runs the knife down one side and the crowd cheer and applaud reasoning their drinks in her honour. Everyone starts to move off after the cake has been cut, but Stiles tells them all to hang on a minute. He apparently has something to say to Lydia, and he wants to make sure everyone hears it. So with curious looks everyone remains on the edge of the small dance floor. No one is more curious than Lydia. So she watches him as he nervously runs his hand through his hair, before clearing his throat and turning to her.

“So I guess it’s my turn to say something - Lydia.” He starts, taking her hand in his. “Phew....okay.”

She just stares at him willing him to go on.

“Firstly - Happy Birthday, I hope I didn’t overstep any boundary’s by organising this thing for you.”

All she can do is smile up at him. She can feel his hands start to shake as he draws in a couple of deep breaths.

“To stay our relationship started off unconventionally is an understatement. I still can’t believe how long it took me to get the courage to finally talk to you after “stalking” you for so long.” Everyone snickers in the background, including Lydia.

“But boy when you finally let me in, and we started on this journey, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy. When you were shot all those years ago, I knew then in that moment that I wanted to love you, protect you and be with you for as long as you would let me.”

Lydia can feel the tears starting to brim in her eyes.

“Saying I love you doesn’t begin to express how I feel, but I do love you - always - “ He let’s go of her hand and pulls out a small box from his pocket.

Lydia inhales quickly and has to cover her mouth with her hands, as she realises what he is doing. One single tear falls down her cheek, and she can hear everyone around her whispering.

“Will you marry me?” He says more quietly than the rest of his speech, as he opens the box revealing a single solitaire diamond sitting atop a gold band.

~~He can see the tear slipping down her cheek as he offers himself up to her. All of him. He wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life loving her, worshipping her. There’s a beat of silence before she is crashing her lips against his. It’s clumsy and a little slobbery as her tears continue to fall, but when she removes her lips away from his, cupping his cheek in her hand, her eyes sparkling, he knows her answer.

“Yes.”  ~~

~


End file.
